Hide and Seek
by absedarian
Summary: Regina realizes some things in Neverland, all of which lead her to the conclusion that she doesn't want to stand in the way of what she thinks is Henry's and Emma's happy ending. She decides to leave but is that really what Henry and Emma want? While Regina is hiding, pretending to have left town, Emma can't stop looking for her. SQ, post-Neverland, no Re-Curse, no Pan.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own them.**

**Author's Note: I know I should be working on ****_The Storybrooke Connection_**** but this story popped back up from its hiding place and refused to let go. Not sure how regular updates will be but I'll try my best.**

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**Prologue**

In the beginning, nobody even noticed.

Emma sure as hell didn't.

After their return from Neverland she was too busy settling back into whatever accounted for normal life in Storybrooke to wonder what that hollow feeling in her chest was. She spent her days at the Sheriff's Office or helping Snow and David move into their new house, and her evenings with Henry while fending off her parents' continued attempts to set her up with the newly revived Neal. Her nights were spent alone, tossing and turning, as she kept wondering why she was feeling like something was missing when everything should have been great now.

It took five days for her to realize just what that constant ache was, to see that the thing she was missing was about 5'6" and distinctly Regina-shaped. The morning of her realization she sat up in bed, torn from sleep by her heart burning with both want and shame. When had that happened? When had she started to miss Regina? And how had she missed the fact that the other woman hadn't even called? Not her, and not Henry either as far as she knew. Since when did Regina ignore Henry for more than a few hours?

"Kid?" she asked that morning over a bowl of cereal she wasn't really interested in. Henry stopped chewing, looking guilty, and Emma instantly wondered what he was trying to hide. But she ignored the feeling and asked what she really wanted to know. "Do you know why your mom didn't come to our welcome back dinner on Thursday?"

Henry scrunched up his face and shook his head. "Nope." His spoon splashed a little milk on the table when it dropped back into his bowl. He had that guilty look again.

"Fess up, kid," Emma said, suddenly anxious. "What's going on?"

"Not sure," her son mumbled. "I think she might have left a note for me."

Emma sat up straight. "She _might_ have?" Sometimes she just wanted to shake Henry. "Did she or didn't she? What did it say?"

Henry blushed. "Don't know," he replied quietly.

Emma closed her eyes. "Why not?"

"I didn't read it?" It came out sounding like a question. He could see the storm clouds in his mother's eyes and continued rapidly. "I was so busy with school and with learning to use my sword, and I spent time with Dad now that he's back alive and …"

"And you forgot that you had a mother?" Emma's voice was sharper than he had heard in a while.

"No," Henry said softly, and he hadn't. "I just didn't have time to miss her." He met Emma's eyes. "It's not like you missed her either," he accused defensively.

Emma shook her head, knowing that Henry would interpret her reaction differently from what she wanted to express. _You have no idea, kid. I just didn't know._ "What did you do with that note?" _If you say you threw it away, I might …_

"It's upstairs, in my school bag."

"You've been carrying it around with you, but you never got around to reading it?" Emma was baffled.

Henry scrunched up his face in a move that was so much like Regina that Emma's heart clenched painfully in her chest. "I was scared," he finally admitted.

"You were scared of your mom? The mom who almost sacrificed her own life to save yours?" _And mine._

Henry shook his head. "I have a bad feeling about it … like I didn't want to know what it said," he tried to explain. "Like when you know you messed up and your teacher gives back the test results and you really don't want to know? So you can continue to imagine everything's fine …"

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Emma said softly. _Last time I had it I found out I was pregnant with you._ "And I need to know if you were right, because I haven't seen Regina since we came back from Neverland, and I'm getting worried."

Henry's eyes grew big. "Do you think …?" He couldn't finish his thought.

"I don't know," Emma said around a sigh. "Why don't you get the note from upstairs?"

Henry ran off in a flash, and Emma watched him leave, trying not to imagine all the things the note could say.


	2. Chapter 1: A Cabin in the Woods

**Disclaimer: I don't own OUaT. Pity.**

**A/N: I was quite overwhelmed by the response to the prologue. Thank you all so very much for the faves, follows, and reviews. I hope I can fulfill your expectations.**

**A/N 2: The first few chapters will jump in time a bit but I think it's always clear enough when we are. There will be one unified timeline soon. In this chapter we're going back to the time when Regina came to her decision.**

**As for Regina's note ... we'll get there, just not in this chapter. ;-)**

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**Chapter 1: A Cabin in the Woods**

**Five days earlier**

Regina sat with her back against the Jolly Roger's main mast, hidden behind a low stack of boxes, wondering why she was feeling so miserable. She should be happy, ecstatic even. Her son was back and safe, and her actions had, for once, been considered right and noble, even by the insufferable _Charmings_. Nobody wanted her dead, at least not this very moment. The Dark One was gone, having exchanged his life for his son's in a last desperate fatherly act of love, leaving her as the single most powerful being in Storybrooke. It should make her happy, but it didn't.

Rumple's son. Henry's father.

Judging by the lump in her throat his presence was one of the major factors in her misery. One more person she had to share Henry with. One more person who would try to push her out of her son's life and …

She stopped and swallowed, afraid to continue the thought. _Be honest, Regina, at least to yourself. Admit it._ She rolled her eyes at her inner voice, but conceded the point. Henry's father was a threat to her place in Henry's life, _yes_, but that wasn't all. Right now, sitting here with her fist pressed against her chest, it wasn't even the most important thing.

Emma Swan.

Regina couldn't pinpoint the moment when she had fallen in love with Emma Swan. She had started to become somewhat aware the first time they had made magic together – or maybe even before – and she had known for sure when Emma had been able to help her with the trigger. The fact that they intensified each other's magic, that their magic influenced the other's, was enormous, more enormous than any of the other people on this damned ship knew.

Rumple had known, of course. He had overheard Emma and Snow talking about the trigger incident one night on the way to Neverland, and he had come to her to gloat and to goad her into admitting something she had no intention of ever admitting. He had giggled in his insane way, positively giddy at the thought that Regina had found love once more, a love she could never have. It had taken all of Regina's strength not to strangle the imp with her bare hands.

He had been right, though, and Regina knew it. She had fallen in love, and she would never have that love returned. Even if Emma realized that she also felt something for Regina, and their magic suggested she did, she would never choose her over her parents. Or even admit that she could feel something for the _Evil Queen_ that went beyond the bare minimum of civility when they met to hand Henry over.

Such was the way of her life, it seemed.

There were days on this trip to Neverland that she had almost been able to convince herself that Emma knew that there was something there. Something between them, something as bright and intense as that damn trigger. She had felt the other woman's eyes on her, could see the questions in them, but Regina had been unable to answer them. She had lain awake at night in the cabin she shared with Emma, listening to the even breaths or, more often, the restless movements of someone unable to find rest. She had listened to the sounds Emma made and hadn't been able to stop the hope in her heart that maybe, maybe one day ...

She was so tired. Regina's eyes closed without her consent. She felt like she hadn't slept in weeks and she was exhausted, mentally, emotionally, and physically. All she wanted was to sleep. She didn't even notice when she nodded off, the memory of her nighttime hopes slowly burning in her heart.

Footsteps roused her from her impromptu nap not long after. Regina looked around, slightly disoriented, but the boxes that hid her from view also prevented her from seeing who had joined her on deck.

"I'm so glad we'll be back in Storybrooke soon."

_Snow._ Regina's face warped into a grimace. _Naturally._

The person with Snow made a noise that could be interpreted as agreement.

"We can finally start thinking about finding a way back home," Snow continued. "Now that our whole family is together, we can focus on that."

"Snow-"

"I know you don't think you want to go back, Emma," Snow interrupted her daughter. "But you should give it a chance. It's your _home_."

"My home is here, in _this_ world." Emma sounded as weary as Regina felt.

"But Henry wants so much to go back," Snow protested.

"Henry doesn't know what he wants." Emma said harshly. "He's a little boy who's been just too happy to listen to Prince Charming and Captain Hook tell their campfire stories about how fucking great all the adventures in the Enchanted Forest were. Of _course_ he wants that. He has no idea what life is really like back there."

Regina could hear Emma's footfalls come closer to where she was sitting.

"We will change things, of course." Snow sounded pleading.

"Of course." Emma snorted. "Snow, what would I _do_ there?"

"What do you mean?" Snow sounded surprised. "You'd be a princess, of course. You'd learn how to rule our kingdom, and then you'd marry your true love and have a wonderful life."

Regina bit back a gasp.

Emma didn't.

"My true love?" she laughed. "And who do you think _that_ is?"

"Neal, of course," Snow replied. "He's Henry's father, after all, and you said you love him."

Regina cringed and pressed her fist against her chest again. Even knowing she could never have Emma, she was surprised at the pain this turn in the conversation caused her.

"Snow," Emma said slowly, and she sounded like she was talking to a small child. "Neal is Henry's father, yes, but he is not my true love."

"But-"

"_No,_ Snow. This conversation is over." There was a pause, and Regina wondered what was happening. "Look, is that Storybrooke in the distance?" Emma sounded much more awake suddenly.

"It is," Snow confirmed. "Come on, let's tell the others."

Regina breathed out slowly once she was alone again. Emma loved Neal? Well, it did make a certain amount of sense, she supposed. Like Snow said, the man was Henry's father and that had to mean something. She simply had misinterpreted the looks Emma had given her over the past few weeks on the ship. And especially that one night.

Regina realized her hands were shaking as she wiped a tear off her cheek. How had that gotten there? She shouldn't be crying over Emma Swan, but knowing you don't deserve something and realizing it really wouldn't be happening were two very different things. All Regina knew was that she wouldn't be able to see that every day — Emma and Henry and ... _that man_ playing happy families with Snow and Charming — and she knew she had to do something.

To her own surprise, it didn't take long at all to make up her mind. Who knew breaking her own heart was something she was willing and able to do?

She composed herself and got up to await the others on deck, a plan forming in her head with surprising ease.

**o o o **

When they arrived in Storybrooke, their little group of adventurers was greeted by a large number of people on the dock. Granny was smiling softly, Leroy grumbled a little less than usual, and Ruby bounced up and down on the balls of her feet with Belle by her side.

Regina watched as her son and Emma were swept up in the crowd, enveloped in the kind of hugs she would never ever get from any of them. Not that she wanted them. She waited a few moments to see if either of them would look back to where she was standing, but soon grew tired of waiting for something she knew wouldn't happen. Henry was hanging off his father's arm, who had one arm slung over Emma's shoulder. Regina swallowed hard and turned away from the group to slowly walk away.

She missed the moment Emma turned around to find her and the sad look she sent after her retreating form.

Regina walked home at a leisurely pace, taking the long way around and enjoying the quiet stroll through the small town she had quite literally made. But even the slowest walk managed to get her to her house within 30 minutes. With a last look around her front yard, Regina squared her shoulders and walked inside.

She shed her clothes with a sigh, feeling grimy from the long trip, and took a scalding shower, which made her feel marginally better. She dressed in more casual clothes — designer jeans and a silk shirt — and stepped into her closet to get started.

_Time to get to work._

She grabbed a few clothing essentials and stuffed them in a large duffel bag, not caring if they got wrinkled. Then she proceeded to do the same with her toiletries. Once her bag was packed, she walked back downstairs and into her study to grab some of her spellbooks. She put all of it in a small pile on her favorite armchair before waving her hand and watching as it disappeared in a small plume of purple smoke.

Regina took one last walk around her home of the past 28 years before nodding to herself. With a certain sense of finality and one last thought for Henry and Emma, she followed her pile of belongings.

**o o o **

Emma's eyes followed Regina until she couldn't see her anymore. She ignored Henry's tugging and Ruby's excited chatter as she wondered at the look she had just barely seen on the other woman's face before she had completely turned away. She thought she had seen sadness and longing, but she could very well have imagined that, she thought. She shrugged off Neal's cloying presence and focused on Henry, but her thoughts stayed with Regina.

Neal wrapped his arm around her again, but dropped it when Emma sent him a withering glare. "What?" he asked. "I thought ..." He managed to look even more confused than usual.

Emma snorted. "I don't care what you thought, Neal, but you have no business touching me, and you never will again."

"But you said ... I heard you say ..."

"That I love you?" Emma asked. "Of course I said that. You were _dying_ and you're Henry's father, and what the hell are you supposed to say to people who are dying anyway?"

"That's it?" Neal reared back a little. "So there's nothing ..." he mumbled.

Emma shook her head. How could there be when she knew she had feelings for someone else.

"Henry and your parents seem to think I'm your true love," Neal said with a grin.

"And _you_ know that's not true," Emma stated. "Neal, I'm sorry, but any romantic feelings I had for you are long gone. And I mean _gone_."

"That's too bad," Neal said. "We were good together, Em. We could be good together again." He smiled cheekily. "I won't give up, you know, and I'll have Henry to help."

Emma got right up in his face. "If you ever want to see Henry again, you'll leave him out of this!"

"Leave Henry out of what?" Snow asked from behind her.

"Nothing," Emma muttered. She really didn't need her mother's opinion on her love life right now.

Snow shrugged. "Good ... because you sounded a lot like Regina just now ..." With that she turned and focused on whatever Granny was telling her.

Emma sighed. _Regina._ She wondered what the other woman was doing.

**o o o **

Regina looked around the log cabin, sizing up what needed to be done to make this place fit to live in for a longer period of time. The cabin had been her getaway when she needed to be outside in the woods, as close to the town line as she had dared, but she hadn't actually been here in many years.

Not since Henry.

A breath escaped Regina's lungs at the thought of her son, the son she loved more than her own life, the son who didn't love her anymore. Well, she was giving him his happy ending with his _real_ family, and maybe that would allow him to think fondly of her in the future.

Regina shook off the dark thoughts and got to work. She cleaned the place with a few waves of her hand, then unpacked the things she had sent here. She checked the bedroom and, deciding that it needed to be airier, enlarged it a little, replacing the entire back wall with floor to ceiling windows in the process. While she was at it, she turned the simple bathroom into a modern en-suite with a large shower, also with a floor to ceiling window.

_Much better._

The fireplaces in both rooms still looked okay. Knowing that cold nights weren't too far off, she magically stacked a few months' worth of firewood outside the back wall. She walked into what went for a kitchen and rolled her eyes. _Well, that was not going to work for more than a week._ She enlarged the room and with a flick of her wrist installed a modern kitchen, similar in style to the one in her house, just on a slightly smaller scale. Another flick of her wrist stacked her pantry and fridge with the contents of their counterparts in her house.

She walked outside, glad she had worn jeans and hiking boots. She checked the roof and repaired the spots that needed to be repaired. Once her cabin was as good as new, or better actually, she took a deep breath to focus on the real work ahead: making sure nobody would ever be able to find her cabin.

Or her.

Regina walked away from the cabin until she came to a tree she had marked as one of the cornerstones of her border. She then walked in a wide circle around the cabin from cornerstone to cornerstone, weaving spell after spell along the way. It took about an hour to make sure everything was perfect and set up so the spells would keep each other up without requiring her constant vigilance, but then everything was done.

Regina made it back to the cabin just in time to collapse at the door, exhausted from the amount of magic she had woven. Darkness had fallen outside by the time she managed to crawl inside and into her armchair. She was asleep before she had the time to get comfortable.


	3. Chapter 2: The Letter

**Disclaimer: I still don't own them.**

**A/N: Thank you all for your follows, faves, and reviews. I appreciate them all. :)**

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**Chapter 2: The Letter**

**Present day**

Emma tapped her fingers on the table, wondering why Henry was taking so long to find that note. How on earth could he not have read it before? And how did he get it anyway? She bit her lip as she realized that Regina must have come by their apartment at some point and she had missed her.

"Henry!" she yelled when she couldn't curb her impatience any longer.

"I'm here," her son replied as he came downstairs. He sounded a little subdued.

"There you are," Emma greeted him. "What took you so long?"

Henry held up the note which turned out to be more of a letter. "Sorry it took so long," he mumbled. "I read mom's letter."

Emma nodded. "And?" She held out her hand. "What does it say?" She tried to take the letter, but Henry pulled it out of reach. "What?"

Henry sat down across from his mother. "You're not supposed to read it," he explained. "It says so specifically." Emma watched as Henry seemed to fight with himself. "Mom, she's gone," he suddenly blurted. "She left."

"She what?" Emma's eyes widened in surprise. She needed to see that letter for herself. "Henry, please let me read that," she asked. "I'm pretty sure your mom sort of expects you to let me read it." Henry didn't look convinced. "Can you at least give me the gist of what it says? A bit more than that she's gone?"

Henry frowned. "Isn't that the most important part?" he asked plaintively. "She left me, and she didn't even say goodbye."

Emma walked over to her son and pulled him into her arms. "Henry, I'm sure she's not really gone. I can't believe she would ever leave you without good reason. Your mom loves you so very much," she said into his hair.

"Then why did she write that she has to leave so I can enjoy my happy ending with you and dad and my family?" Henry sounded a little angry now.

Now it was Emma's turn to frown. "Why does she think that ...?" _Regina thought she and Neal and Henry would be a family?_ And even if, it really didn't sound like the fierce ex-mayor to just accept that and leave ... Why would she feel the need to leave?

Emma needed to read that letter, hoping that Regina's words would provide some sort of explanation. "Henry, let me see that," she repeated. "I need to read what she said, so I can go and find her."

Henry straightened immediately. "You want to go and find her?"

"Yes, of course," Emma said. "You want her back, don't you?"

Her son nodded fervently and handed over the letter. "I really want her here, mom," he said quietly.

_You and me both, kid. _Emma took the letter and started to read.

**o o o **

**Four days earlier**

Regina awoke with a headache. She took a few deep breaths before trying to stand, knowing that she was likely still exhausted after all the magic the day before. She got to her feet with only a slight wobble and slowly walked into the kitchen. She definitely needed a shower and coffee, not necessarily in that order.

She felt a whole lot better after her shower and several cups of strong coffee. She sipped from her cup once more, enjoying the silky-smooth, dark taste, trying to avoid the inevitable for just a little longer. With a small sigh she finally pulled over a stack of stationary and a pen, and began to write.

_My dear Henry,_

_When you're reading these lines, I'll be long gone, and I would like you to know why I've decided to leave. You have no idea how happy I am that we managed to get you back safely from Neverland, or how much I love you, but now it is time for me to let you enjoy the happy ending you have always dreamed of. _

_I know that ever since you found out about the curse I cast on the Enchanted Forest — the curse that brought me you and the happiness that came with your presence in my life — you have dreamed of being with what you call your real family. And now you can have it. _

Regina angrily wiped at a tear on her cheek, but not quickly enough to stop it from landing on the page. _I must still be exhausted,_ she thought defiantly. She sniffled a little as she continued to write. Her thoughts turned to Emma.

_I do not know what your other mother's plans for the future are, but I'm assuming they include your father and your grandparents, and thus are exactly what you want. I would only be in the way. There is just too much history between me and everyone else, too much bad blood, too much hate. We would always fight over you, and I don't want you to have to experience that. I want you to be happy, and therefore I have to leave. _

_Don't try to find me. No secret mission, no grand, heroic quest. Please. And please tell your mother to accept my wishes as well, and leave me be. Chances are I might be back one day to visit you, so please tell Ms. Swan not to try and find me. I made sure she won't be able to anyway, and she now needs to focus on you. I would ask you to tell her to feed you better, but I simply have to hope that I taught you well enough to know that some things are healthier for you than others. One hint: a diet of burgers and hot cocoa is NOT a good thing. _

_I have to go now, literally and figuratively. Be happy, my little prince._

_I love you, always and forever,_

_Your mom, _

_Regina_

_P.S. Please don't show this letter to anyone; especially not your mother. Just tell her to make sure you're happy. _

Regina smiled a little as she added the final bit, knowing full well that Henry would not listen. And she didn't really mind; parts of the letter had been written with Emma in her heart and on her mind anyway. She sealed the letter in an envelope and put it to the side to wait for nightfall, so she could deliver it.

**o o o **

**Present Day**

Emma's finger traced the spot where the ink was a little blurred. Regina had cried when she had written the letter and Emma wondered if writing this had been the hardest thing the other woman had ever had to do. She assumed it was, maybe even harder than admitting that she was, in fact, the Evil Queen.

_Don't try to find me. _Emma read it again with a growl and tossed the letter on the kitchen counter. It had provided far less explanation than she had hoped, but she had learned long ago to read between the lines where Regina was concerned. And what she got from the letter was that the other woman hadn't just left to give Henry his happy ending.

_Don't try to find me. Yeah, right. _Emma gave her son a half-grin. "You know I've never done anything she told me to do, right?"

Henry nodded with a smile. "Where do you think she went?" he asked.

"I honestly don't know," Emma said. "It sounds like she left town, but ... I don't know." She couldn't shake the feeling that Regina was still somewhere close. Part of that, she knew, was the fact that she simply could not imagine a Storybrooke without Regina in it, and another part was that she couldn't see a world where Regina wouldn't be keeping an eye on her son, no matter what she said.

"I could come up with a new code name," Henry said suddenly.

Emma chuckled. "A code name? For what?" she asked, but then shook her head. "I don't think that's necessary, kid. Remember, your mom specifically said no heroic missions." She grinned to take the sting out of her words.

Henry's shoulders still slumped a little. "I just thought ..."

He was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Emma went to open it, but stopped halfway there and turned back to Henry. "Let's keep the letter between us, okay?" She waited to see Henry nod before she continued to the door, where the knocking was getting a little more insistent.

"Emma, what took you so long?" Snow shook her head with an aggrieved sigh as she stormed past Emma and into the apartment. "Hello, Henry."

Emma was surprised Snow had even knocked and waited instead of simply coming inside. Until Neverland, this had been her apartment after all. It was only after their return that she and David had decided to leave the loft to Emma and move into a house of their own, not too far away from their old apartment. _So they could have a new family_, Emma thought a little bitterly. She made a mental note to get all of the keys to _her_ apartment back.

She watched as Henry hugged Snow, but moved quickly when she remembered the letter resting openly on the kitchen counter. She grabbed it as casually as she could and stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans. Snow shot her a questioning look, but didn't say anything.

"What brings you here, Snow?" Emma tried to divert Snow's attention. "Did we have plans?"

Snow shook her head. "No, I just thought I'd treat you two to a late breakfast at Granny's this morning."

Henry jumped up, sadness momentarily forgotten. "Cool."

Emma wasn't all that enthusiastic, but she couldn't bring herself to disappoint Henry. "Yeah, okay," she said. "Gimme a minute to get ready."

When Emma had disappeared upstairs, Snow turned to Henry. "What's up with you two this morning?" she asked. "Did something happen?"

Henry shook his head. "Nope."

"Un-huh." Snow let it go for now. She'd get it out of one of them sooner or later. "Emma, come on," she yelled upstairs.

"Coming," Emma yelled back. She was busy finding a good hiding spot for Regina's letter. In the end she slipped it into a tattered paperback novel and stuffed it into her bedside table. She ran her fingers through her hair, grabbed her leather jacket and ran downstairs. "We're not in any hurry, are we?" she asked Snow as she pulled on her boots.

Snow blushed a little. "Well, I told Neal to meet us at 11," she admitted.

Emma groaned. "Neal is coming," she stated tonelessly. _There was no escaping him._

Her mother nodded with enthusiasm, which was mirrored by Henry's wide grin. "You three need to spend more time together, now that you're going to be a real family," Snow said happily. She wrapped a scarf around Henry's neck and ran her hand through his hair. "Ready?"

_Not really,_ Emma thought. _Not for breakfast, and certainly not for playing happy families with Neal._ Snow's words brought back Regina's words in her letter and realization hit her in the heart.

_This is why you left._

**o o o **

**Four days earlier**

Regina waited as long as she possibly could, knowing that Henry was probably not keeping to his established bedtimes now that he was living with Emma. She spent hours just watching the clock ticking away minute after minute, until she decided it was safe to go.

She transported herself to a side alley close to Emma's apartment and checked her surrounding. Everything was quiet as she moved closer to the apartment door. She tried the door and found it unlocked. She would have to have words with Emma about this lack of security. Then she remembered that she probably wouldn't be speaking to Emma any time soon. She closed the door quietly behind herself and weaved a spell that made sure that every occupant of the apartment would stay in a deep, dreamless sleep.

Silently she moved up the stairs to where she assumed her son would be sleeping. She found him deeply asleep, but she also found Emma Swan, curled up next to her son. For a few minutes she could do nothing but stare at the bed and the two people in it. How she wished she could watch them all night. How she wished she could take them both and disappear with them.

How she wished she could just crawl under the blanket and curl herself around them both.

Instead, she looked around for a safe spot to leave the letter so that Henry would find it, but not his mother. She finally spotted his school bag and one of his favorite comics inside it. She pressed the letter between two pages, letting it stick out a little, and put the comic back where she had found it.

She knew she should leave but it took another few minutes for her to bring herself to do it. With careful steps she crept closer to the bed and ran her hand lovingly through Henry's hair. She watched him smile in his sleep and she imagined it was because he knew she was here. Before she knew what she was doing she walked around to the other side of the bed and stood over Emma. Her hand reached out without her conscious consent and she watched in fascination as her fingers pushed a few blond hairs out of Emma's relaxed face.

Then she leaned down and pressed her lips to Emma's cheek, heart thudding heavily in her chest. And before she could change her mind about leaving it all behind, she waved her hand and transported back to her cabin.

Emma smiled in her sleep.


	4. Chapter 3: The Mission

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. I only own my mistakes.**

**A/N: Thank you all for the faves, follows, and reviews. They make me smile. :)**

**A/N 2: Any guesses what the chapter titles have in common?**

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**Chapter 3: The Mission**

**Present Day**

Emma sighed when she saw Neal's smirking face as soon as they entered the diner. He had stayed true to his word and had asked her out every day since their return from Neverland, sometimes twice a day, completely undeterred by her increasingly vociferous _No. _

Emma had tried to avoid him for the most part, but he always seemed to know where she would be at any given time of the day. She assumed it had something to do with Snow's unshakable conviction that Neal was her true love, which had her helping Neal in every way possible. At least Neal had yet to rope Henry into any of his plans, but Emma had no idea how long her threat to withhold visits with Henry would actually work.

Snow beamed at Neal, as did Henry who started to chat with his father as soon as they got within hearing distance. Emma was just grateful that Henry slid into the booth in the seat next to Neal, so she wasn't forced to sit next to him. She motioned for Snow to slide into their seat first, sitting as far away from Neal as was possible in a tiny diner booth.

"Hey, Em," Neal greeted her with a cheeky grin.

Emma just growled in response, earning herself a painful nudge in the side by Snow. She really wasn't in the mood to be nice to Neal, and now Snow was rapidly working her way up her list of people to ignore the rest of the day. Henry shot his mother a questioning look, which she answered with a half-smile.

Her mind was on Regina and her letter. She tuned out everyone else around her and focused on the only matter that held her interest right then. Why would Regina just leave? Was it really only because she thought that Henry wanted her gone? Her heart refused to believe it and her brain doubted it as well. She shot a look across the table, just knowing that at least half the reasons for Regina's disappearance were sitting across from her.

Her own heart hoped that there was another reason as well. She knew that she and Regina had gotten closer on that long trip to Neverland. There had been real friendship there, real affection, and — at least on her side — there had been something more as well. That first night on the boat after they had found Henry they had both been exhausted and relieved, and somehow ended up curled up together on tiny bunk. The bunk had been barely big enough for one normal-sized person, and the mattress was lumpy and smelly. Still, it had been the best night's sleep Emma had had in months.

She remembered waking up, completely entangled in Regina whose hands had found their way under Emma's tank top, one on her back, one on her chest. Regina's head had been resting on Emma's shoulder and she had looked relaxed and at peace. Emma had taken a deep breath, enjoying the closeness more than she knew she should, and had found herself hoping that Regina would stay asleep for a while longer just so she could watch her sleep and study her face.

Emma's eyes closed as she replayed that morning in her mind. It was as if she could perfectly picture Regina's eyes and the look she had given her the first few seconds after waking up, before the walls had come down. And sitting there in Granny's diner on a Sunday morning, Emma was finally able to recognize the way Regina looked at her when the other woman didn't know Emma was watching. Just _now_, way too late perhaps, was she able to realize she knew that kind of look.

It was the same way she looked at Regina when she knew nobody could see it.

She gasped and her eyes sprang open. If she was right, she knew exactly why Regina had left. She imagined Regina with a lover and having to watch that day in, day out, and had to bite back the nausea that image provoked.

"Are you okay, honey?" Snow asked, noticing Emma's state for the first time. Neal and Henry also had concerned looks on their faces.

Emma shook her head. She had to get out of there, had to get started on finding Regina. "I have to go," was all she got out, before standing up and bolting for the door.

"Mom, wait," Henry yelled and followed her. "What's going on?" he asked once they were outside and alone.

Emma shook her head. "I'm sorry, kid," she replied. "There's just something I have to take care of."

"Right now?" he whined. "We're having breakfast with dad."

"Yeah ... I'm not hungry anyway." Emma tried to sound reassuring.

Henry looked at her shrewdly. "Are you going to look for mom?"

Emma couldn't help but smile as she nodded, appreciating that he knew her far better than she knew him. "Any advice?"

"Not really, no." Henry bit his lower lip. "I could come with you," he offered hesitantly.

Emma leaned down to his eye level. "Nah, you go enjoy breakfast with Snow and Neal, but please don't tell them where I went," she said. "I'll tell you what I find out later, okay?"

Henry nodded. "Are you sure we don't need a code name?" he wondered out loud. "You know, since it really is a secret mission after all?"

Emma chuckled and decided to indulge him, especially if it made him more prone to keep this quiet for now. "Well, I guess every secret mission deserves a good name." She winked at him. "You wanna come up with something when I get back?"

Henry grinned. "No need," he said airily. "I already have a name: Operation Hide and Seek."

"Hide and Seek, huh?" Emma thought about it. "That's actually perfect, kid." She hugged her son. "Now go and enjoy your pancakes, and if Snow asks where I ran off to, just tell her … tell her I have a headache and decided to go for a nice, long walk to clear my head."

Henry nodded and ran back into the diner, Emma's eyes on his back the whole time. She trusted him to keep their secret, even though she knew it wasn't really fair to ask him to lie for her. She mostly did it because she didn't want her son subjected to what she expected Snow and Neal to say when they found out that Regina was gone. She knew they'd both be elated, and she really didn't want Henry to hear that.

She didn't want to hear it either.

With one last look back at the diner she turned around and started walking in the direction of the harbor. Only when she was certain that she couldn't be seen any longer from the diner did she double back and start walking toward Mifflin Street.

**o o o **

**Three days earlier**

Regina spent the second full day of her self-imposed exile trying to get through the endless hours and fighting the urge to check on Henry and Emma every five minutes. She tried to read but none of her books — novels, spell books, cook books, graphic novels — held her interest for longer than a few minutes. Pacing helped for a while, so she began to work out, and didn't stop for hours. She fell into bed sweaty and exhausted, but she slept through the night.

Which was why she repeated the same thing the next day, trying to come up with even more strenuous exercises, more ways of torturing her body until it was ready to sleep.

If nothing ever came of her exile, she thought wryly, at least she would have a killer body. Even if nobody ever saw it.

_If Emma n_ ever got to see it.

She slept like the dead at the end of the third day.

**o o o **

**Present day**

Emma picked the lock to the mansion with practiced ease, thinking she should definitely have a talk with Regina about home security. Then she remembered why she was there, which sobered her immediately.

The first thing she realized was the silence. Not that Regina's house had ever been noisy, not even when Henry had still been living here, but now it was still as a grave, and Emma shivered a little. She also made a mental note to check the graveyard and the Mills' mausoleum next.

Emma walked through the kitchen but saw nothing amiss. She hadn't been inside the room often enough to notice things that could have been different or missing, but she was surprised not to see any kind of coffee maker, knowing Regina's love for the brew. She wondered if it would have been better to bring Henry after all. She sighed. _Guess we'll have to come back together._

She walked slowly through the rest of the rooms downstairs before climbing the stairs with a deep breath. She didn't know why she was nervous, but part of her expected to find Regina upstairs, enraged at the intrusion, ready for a fight. _Or something._ She was torn between relief and disappointment when it was just as silent and empty upstairs as it had been downstairs.

Emma's heart still beat a little faster when she pushed the door to Regina's bedroom open with the palm of her hand. She stopped a couple of steps inside the room and looked around. The closet door was open as was the door to the bathroom. _Closet first_, she thought.

Even without having ever been in Regina's closet before, Emma could see right away that clothes were missing. There was a small suitcase on the floor at the back of the closet with a much larger free space next to it. "So she did pack a bag," Emma muttered to herself, her heart sinking. Everything pointed to Regina having actually left.

She checked the bathroom next and registered the lack of toiletries there. _Packed that too._

Henry's room seemed undisturbed but Henry would be a much better judge of that. Emma wondered if Regina had packed some small token from Henry's room, something to remember him by, but then she decided in the next second that something like that might actually be too painful for a mother leaving her child behind.

She ran her hand along the banister as she slowly walked downstairs. In the study she could see holes on the shelves where books used to be, of that she was certain. _And didn't there used to be an armchair in that corner?_

After a few more minutes of looking around Emma stood in the foyer wondering what to do next. She really didn't want to go back to the diner or anywhere where she would have to face Neal and Snow.

Garage first, then the mausoleum she decided.

**o o o **

**A cabin in the woods, present day**

Regina had woken up early as usual but trying to get out of bed had been a completely different story. After two days of continually abusing her body with hard workouts she had been feeling every muscle, tendon, and joint in her body.

It had taken her an embarrassingly long time to crawl from her bed to the shower but at least the very hot water and the massage setting had helped. She had regretted not having added a jacuzzi when she had upgraded her bathroom, but then she had simply determined that she could still do that later in the day.

Nearly half an hour in the shower had her feeling much better, and the pot of coffee had done the rest. Now she was ready to tackle her day.

She rolled her shoulders as she got dressed, making a mental list of things to do. She needed to keep busy or thoughts of Emma and Henry would drive her insane. _No workout today though,_ she thought with a sigh as her body ached as soon as she moved. Just a walk along her borders to check the enchantments then. And later … maybe she could pop into town unseen to check up on … _NO,_ she admonished herself. _Just don't go there._

_Just a walk, Regina._

**o o o **

Emma found the garage closed but not locked, which was so unlike Regina that Emma suddenly wished she had a weapon on her. She opened the garage door slowly, afraid of what she might find. Her shoulders sagged when she could see inside the garage.

It was empty. Well, almost. No Mercedes, just a bunch of boxes in the corners. Emma thought she remembered more stuff inside the garage but maybe Regina had done some spring cleaning. Her hopes waned even further. _Packed bags, and now the car was gone?_ It really began to look like Regina had just disappeared in the middle of the night. Without really saying goodbye to her son. Without saying goodbye to her.

How on earth was she going to tell Henry that his mom had really left him? Left them?

**o o o **

Emma needed a drink. She didn't care that it was the early afternoon on a Sunday. To her, it felt a lot like the end of something that didn't even have a beginning.

She closed the garage behind her, making a mental note to try and find a key to lock it up safely before she left, then walked back into the house in search of a drink. _A glass of the best damn apple cider she had ever tasted, maybe?_ But just the thought made her sad enough to choke on a breath. She hoped Regina had something else on hand.

She walked straight for the den and started looking around until she found a brand new bottle of Maker's Mark on a sideboard.

_That'll do nicely._

**o o o **

Regina walked in a wide circle around her cabin, checking the four cornerstones and all the enchantments. Everything was working perfectly fine. As soon as she stepped across her border, the sight of her cabin in the distance was replaced by wild, overgrown forest, dark, tangled, and completely uninviting. Nobody would ever dare go there. And if they did, one of the enchantments was designed to instill a burning, undeniable desire to be elsewhere in any trespasser. The border wouldn't hurt anyone, but it also wouldn't let anyone pass.

She felt better after her walk, and a little hungry, but as soon as her brain wasn't busy with thoughts of enchantments and safety and what else was left to do, it turned to Emma. She was sure the sheriff had read her letter by now, uncaring of her wishes. She was probably busy acting like the Savior, ignoring her instructions and looking for her, at least for a few days until she realized the futility of it. It was just in her nature, and there was a tiny kernel of hope inside of her that hoped Emma would find her … if she _was_ looking. But as soon as the sheriff realized that Regina had really left, she would soon get back to her new life and hopefully be happy, and give Henry a happy life in the process.

Her hunger fled with these thoughts and she returned to the cabin feeling a deep-seated sadness that manifested as an ache in her chest. _A drink would be lovely now_, she thought and checked her supplies.

Nothing.

Well, that definitely had to change. With a flick of her wrist, she held the unopened bottle of bourbon she knew she had in her den. Or so she thought because once she took a look at the bottle, she saw the red seal had been broken and there were several fingers of the bottle's contents missing. _Who would come into her house and dare sneak a —_

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

_Emma._

**o o o **

Emma poured herself a generous drink, replaced the bottle in its spot, then walked into the kitchen to see if she could find some ice. She had made it as far as the foyer when she heard a sound from the den, the light clinking of glass and a sort of very light hissing sound.

She turned on her heel and ran back into the room, the bourbon in her glass sloshing over the rim. She stopped in front of the bar area with all its glasses, one of which had fallen over, and the bottles. She wondered how a glass could just fall over out of nowhere, and reached out to put it to back to its original position. Then it hit her. The bottle of Maker's Mark was gone. Just gone. _Vanished as if by …_

_Magic._

Emma swallowed hard, drink forgotten. Hope tasted better anyway.

Regina was still in Storybrooke, she just _had_ to be.


	5. Chapter 4: Step By Step

**Disclaimer: Not my characters.**

**A/N: This is a little Emma-centric but she does have some stuff to deal with.**

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**Chapter 4: Step By Step**

Emma sat down heavily on the small sofa in the den, her eyes never leaving the spot where the bottle of bourbon used to be. She swirled the glass in her hand absent-mindedly until she moved it too hard and a drop of the amber liquid was catapulted onto her hand. She eyed the tumbler as if it were a foreign object for a second, then lifted it to her mouth and emptied it in one gulp.

So Regina was still in Storybrooke.

That was the only explanation that made sense, unless she had somehow figured out a way to take her magic with her across the border. She made mental note to check with Gold if there was any way that was possible … and then she remembered that Gold wasn't _there_ any more to ask because he had sacrificed himself in Neverland in exchange for Neal's life.

No, the only explanation was that Regina hadn't left town, at least not yet, and was just hiding somewhere. _That woman, _Emma groused silently. Her feelings vacillated heavily between anger and relief. _How could Regina tell Henry that she would leave and then stay? Was it some sort of mind game? But she hadn't actually said that she would leave town, had she? _her brain reminded her. She wished she had taken the letter with her to check. But no, she hadn't said that as far as she could remember. Just that she would leave, and judging by the state of her house and her personal belongings she had indeed left to parts unknown.

She was ripped out of her thoughts when her phone rang. She didn't even look at the display before answering. "Swan."

"Emma, honey, are you okay?" Emma groaned silently. She definitely should have checked who it was. "Henry said you weren't feeling well but it's been hours and I'm getting worried."

_It's been hours already?_ "Last time I checked I'm an adult, Snow," Emma growled. She really wasn't in the mood for Snow's meddling and overprotecting urges. For all she knew Snow might have been one of the reasons why Regina felt the need to leave. "Why is it so hard for you to leave me alone?"

"But … Emma, sweetie …" Snow whined. "You left breakfast so suddenly, and Neal was worried, too …"

Emma pressed the empty tumblr against her forehead, silently cursing Regina for stealing that bottle away. "Snow, I want you to listen to me," she said slowly, enunciating each word. Maybe she _was_ beginning to sound like Regina a little bit. "I don't care what Neal thought or was worried about, and he knows that. He should know better than to keep trying, and you need to stop helping him at every turn."

Emma could practically see Snow's wounded face at the other end of the line. "I'm just trying to help you because you're just as stubborn as your dad sometimes, Emma," Snow insisted. "And Neal is your true love, he told me so, and it's so clear—"

"He what?!" Emma erupted. "That fucking asshole! He can forget about seeing Henry ever again!"

"Emma!" Snow sounded scandalized, although Emma wasn't sure if it was by her tone, her swearing, or the threat. "You can't threaten the father of your child," she continued. "Henry needs both his parents."

Emma took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Henry _has_ two parents, me and Regina," she said as calmly as she could. "Neal has known him for maybe ten minutes. He's not a parent, he's … he's … Henry's current favorite obsession. And you encourage him left, right, and center, Snow, and you have to stop."

Snow huffed. "You and _Neal_ are Henry's parents," she said primly. "No matter what Regina says. Wait, are you with her right now? Is she putting these thoughts in your head?"

Emma laughed bitterly. She just wished she were with Regina right now. Oh, how she wished for that. Sometimes it felt like Regina was the only person in the world who got her despite all their fights. "No, I'm not," she told her mother truthfully. She decided not to mention that she was currently sitting in Regina's den, seriously contemplating staying here for the foreseeable future. Nobody would look for her here — well, apart from Henry, and he'd be welcome to join her. Hiding away from the world actually sounded … nice. No wonder Regina had run. "By the way, Snow, I don't need Regina to tell me what I know to be true. Regina raised Henry for ten years and she loves him with all her heart. Neal ejaculated and the condom broke. See the difference?"

Emma didn't have to see Snow in that moment to know the face she was making. She sighed. "I'm sorry if I'm being crass," she muttered half-heartedly because she wasn't really all that sorry. "But seriously, you need to stop pushing Neal at me." _Or any other guy for that matter. _She should probably be glad that her mother had no idea that she'd kissed Hook on Neverland, otherwise she'd be trying to sell her on his virtues next.

"I just want what's best for you and Henry," Snow finally said after a long silence, her voice soft and sad.

"The best thing you can do for me and Henry is to trust me to know what's best for us," Emma replied calmly. "I know you missed out on mothering me, but that train's left the station long ago, so please ... stay out of my love life."

"But … sweetie …"

"See you later," Emma interrupted another round of her mother's pleading and ended the call. She considered turning her phone off but she didn't dare in case Henry wanted to reach her. _Or a certain someone._

Emma twirled her phone in her hand. _Maybe I should just …_ Before she knew it she had dialed a familiar number. It rang twice before Regina's voice answered. "You have reached Regina Mills. I'm currently unavailable but you can leave a message." Emma swallowed hard. How had she not realized how much she had missed hearing that voice the last few days?

"Regina, its me," Emma said hesitantly. "Henry gave me your letter today. I know you told him not to … but I'm also pretty sure that you expected me to read it anyway. Look, I'm sorry we didn't read it before but Henry was scared of what it might say." She swallowed again trying not to sound desperate. "Where are you, Regina? Why did you run? You know that's my specialty. You're the clingy mom, not me. Henry misses you." _I miss you._ "Why didn't you talk to me? Come back, okay? Or at least call me so I know you're all right. Or call Henry if you don't want to talk to me. Just … you know … call."

Emma ended the call and got to her feet. She still needed to check the mausoleum.

**o o o**

Regina poured herself a generous helping from the magically acquired bottle and sat down on the bench outside her cabin to think.

There weren't too many explanations why Emma would be in her house, if indeed it _had_ been Emma. But her presence was the only thing that made any sense at all, so Regina decided to just postulate it was her. Emma could have come to pick something up for Henry from his room, she supposed, but deep down she knew it was because Emma was looking for her.

The bigger question was: why now? Why not before? Why at all?

Regina sipped her drink, watching a crow resting in a nearby tree. She liked the dark birds — they were intelligent, resilient, and, best of all, had always refused to talk to Snow White. She imagined that Snow's inane chatter insulted their intelligence, and she made sure to befriend the different murders of crows on her land wherever she went. The crow met Regina's eyes for a moment, then inclined its head once before flying off in search of food.

Regina leaned her head against the wall of her cabin. She had disappeared five days ago, so why was Emma at her house now? Had Henry really kept the letter from his mother? Or had he simply not read it? Or, worst of all, read it and thrown it away?

Regina gasped at the thought. She wished she could find out what was going on and in the next second she chastised herself for caring too much. _You wanted to let them go, now live with it,_ she told herself. But she was finding out that _that_ was even harder than she thought it was going to be. Living without Henry and Emma proved to be like living with a wound that refused to heal, staying just barely scabbed over, itching all the time, driving her to pick at it again and again.

The mere thought of maybe leaving her hiding spot to see them — even from afar, from a safe hiding place — made her heart clench painfully in her chest, and she actually couldn't breathe for long, scary moments. How on earth did she ever think she could do this? How did she think she could stay hidden away in the woods around Storybrooke, when the two people she loved with all her heart were so close, yet so far, far away?

She took another sip of her drink, wondering what to do.

**o o o**

Emma had been to Regina's vault before but it had never felt as creepy to her as it did on this bright Sunday afternoon. It was at least 20 degrees colder inside than it was outside, and Emma shivered even in her leather jacket. Although, she considered, that could have been from more than the cold. It could just as easily have been dread.

Emma was convinced the place was empty as soon as she got to the sarcophagus covering the stairs. Everything inside the mausoleum felt stale and untouched, and the light dust cover on the sarcophagus provided evidence that it hadn't been moved in a while. She pushed against it nonetheless just to prove her own point, nodding at the very visible handprints she left in the spot she was pushing against.

"Might as well check it out," she muttered to the walls and descended to the lower level. It was soon clear that Regina was definitely not hiding in her vault. Dust covered every surface here as well, and it didn't look like Regina had been down here since long before their trip to Neverland.

Emma shook her head with a drawn-out sigh. _Better head home and bring Henry up to speed._ She climbed the stairs, shoved the sarcophagus back into place, and walked out into the sunshine with a feeling of relief. She had just shaken herself once to get rid of the last vestiges of dread when her phone rang. This time she checked who it was before answering with a smile. "Hey, kid."

"Ma!" Henry yelled into the phone. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the cemetery, why?" Emma started walking at a brisk pace. "What's going on, Henry?"

"You have to come quick," Henry explained, sounding a little out of breath and a lot excited. "I just saw mom! She's still in Storybrooke!"

Emma broke into a jog. "You saw Regina? Where?"

"I was walking home from dad's and I saw her car driving down Main Street," Henry replied, words tumbling all over each other in his haste to get them out.

"Where did she go?"

"She turned onto Portland from here. She should—"

"Be driving right past here," Emma finished for him, just as she spotted the black Mercedes speeding past the cemetery entrance and disappearing around the corner. She sprinted after the car, wishing like hell she'd taken her car, but when she got to the corner, the car was nowhere in sight.

"Damn!"


	6. Chapter 5: What A Difference A Day Makes

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. Pity.**

**A/N: The update is a day late (sorry) but it's about twice as long as the other chapters, which will hopefully earn me some forgiveness. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 5: What A Difference A Day Makes**

Emma stared down the street where Regina's Benz had vanished for a long, long moment before turning around to head back home. She knew she had to talk to Henry, to bring him up to date, but she wasn't sure how much to actually share with her son. She wondered if he was angry at Regina after seeing her car, if he thought she had lied to him yet again.

As she walked the quiet streets of Storybrooke doubts began to creep into her mind. She had seen the car just fine and was pretty sure it had been Regina's but she hadn't managed to get a look at the driver. For all she knew it could have been anyone driving it, although she had no idea who would have the guts to steel the Evil Queen's car.

On the other hand, they had been gone quite a while, and Regina had pulled her disappearing act right after their return from Neverland. _Didn't even stick around for a whole day before she left._

All thoughts of Regina's Benz evaporated as Emma tried to recall the day of their triumphant return as clearly as she could. They had been greeted by half of Storybrooke at the docks, lots of people hugging them, all too happy to have them back. She couldn't remember seeing Regina among the throng of people, the mix of greeters and greeted, but she did remember the indecipherable look on Regina's face when she had turned and walked away. At the time she hadn't put too much importance on that, but now that she knew that the woman had left that very same day, she wondered again what the look had been about. _Who or what had she looked at? Henry most likely. Or maybe, just maybe that look had been for you._

Emma sighed at the thought. Wishful thinking wouldn't help her at all in this situation. And if Regina _had_ been looking at her why had she taken that as a reason to leave? And then Emma remembered the way Neal had been all over her, no matter how much she tried to put distance between them. With that, the memory of her talk with Snow on the _Jolly Roger_ came back as well. Snow, who had tried to tell Emma how great everything would be if they all could just go back to the Enchanted Forest, and how Neal was her true love.

She couldn't remember seeing Regina anywhere near but what if_ ... No, stop! Stop making things up in your head just because you want them so much_, she admonished herself. But no matter how much she told herself it couldn't possibly be true, everything in her head and in her heart came back to this: Neal had been all over her that day, and for most of the trip back. Snow had spoken of her conviction that he was Emma's true love, loudly, with no thought as to who might hear. And Regina was a complex woman filled with self-doubt who would always believe in the worst possible outcome for herself. Much like Emma herself.

Emma knew she had feelings for Regina, there was no doubt about that. She just didn't know exactly what those feelings were. All she knew was that they were complicated and strong, running through her like electricity, invading every cell. And those feelings sure as hell weren't getting any less complicated with Regina gone.

She wished they could just sit down and talk. Try to get to the bottom of this, try to figure out what it was that she was feeling ... _they_ were feeling. Because the more she thought about it, the more she was certain that Regina shared her feelings, in all their complicated glory. _Why didn't you come talk to me, Regina? Why did you just run? I would have told you to stay!_

_Would you?_ a tiny part of her mind wondered, and Emma deflated. She hated thinking about her feelings almost as much as she hated talking about them. Of course she wouldn't have said any of those things to Regina. Not unless she had been a hundred percent sure of her feelings and possibly Regina's as well. And five days ago, before Regina had disappeared, Emma hadn't known how deep her feelings for Regina ran. It was Regina's absence from her life that had made Emma see things more clearly. She stopped in her tracks. Maybe Regina had done exactly the right thing.

Absence, it seemed, really did make the heart grow fonder.

Now she just had to find Regina to let her know that she had figured it out and to tell her to please come back. And finding people was what she did. Regina didn't stand a chance.

Heart lightened by her conclusion, Emma lengthened her stride again. Time to talk to Henry about what exactly he had seen.

**o o o**

Regina paced in front of her stone fireplace. There was just enough space for four long strides to the left, a turn on her heels, and four strides back. And the mantle was close enough to lend support in case she stumbled, which of course had never happened and would never happen, no matter how much of the bourbon in that bottle was now inside her.

She had spent the afternoon thinking about Henry and Emma, and was still thinking about them. _Be honest_, she sneered at herself. You _started out_ thinking about both of them, and ended up emptying a couple of glasses over thoughts of Emma. _Emma, Emma, Emma. _The name ran through her head like a mantra.

By now, darkness had fallen in Storybrooke, and Regina was well on her way to being drunk, which really didn't help the direction her thoughts were taking. She paused in her strides as the memory of Emma's arms around her on the _Jolly Roger_ stormed her mind's eye, and a deep longing engulfed her as much as those strong arms had done. She dropped into her armchair and leaned back, staring at the beams on her ceiling. Why couldn't she shake this feeling, this yearning for Emma?

She could still hear Gold's giggle when he had figured it out on the way to Neverland. "Oh, this is wonderful," the blasted imp had sing-songed. "True love has finally found you after all this time, and it's going to kill you." She had hardly been able to control her face and her emotions back then; right _now_, his words hit her like an ice storm. But she refused to bend to the onslaught of sadness; she would not succumb to it, she was much stronger than that. "Fitting," Gold had continued as she had turned to leave, "that the Savior would slay the Evil Queen with nothing but her own heart." A _bloodless killing_ he had called it, suitable for the kind of good people Emma Swan represented. "Snow White will be so proud," he'd said as she had left his cabin.

Gold and her mother had always known exactly which buttons to push with her, how to goad her into doing things _they_ needed. Strange then how this time all Gold's words had done was to make Regina withdraw into herself, and consequently from the people she loved.

All of a sudden the alcohol in her system was making her sleepy, or maybe it was emotional exhaustion. The last thought she had before she drifted off was that Gold had been right about one thing, though.

This was killing her.

**o o o**

Emma didn't have time to put her key in the lock before Henry whipped open the door. He looked at her, and then around her, and she could see his face fall when her realized she was alone.

"I thought you might have found her," Henry said against her chest when she hugged him close. "Did you see her?"

Emma let him go to close the door, then took his hand and pulled him over to the sofa. "About that, kid," she began hesitantly. "I did see your mom's car … but I couldn't get a look at who was driving it. So I want you to be sure: did you see your mom or just her car?"

Henry instantly opened his mouth to answer but closed it again after a second of thought. "I … I'm not really sure," he finally replied. "I don't think so. I was so sure it was her because it definitely was her car … but I only really saw it from the back." Emma felt sympathy at his sad tone and pulled him into a one-armed hug. "You don't think it was her, do you?" he asked with a small sniffle.

Emma hated that Henry was sad but at the same time she marveled at the fact that after everything he had been through, he still had no trouble showing his emotions. She had seen so many kids in the system who hadn't cried anymore at his age, and she was glad his experiences hadn't hardened him as they had her when she was a kid.

"I don't know," she said honestly, "but my gut says it wasn't her." She looked into Henry's eyes. "It just doesn't make sense, you know."

Henry nodded. "You're right," he agreed. "Why would she tell us that she'd leave and then drive around town? She wouldn't lie about leaving, not now … after everything."

In this moment Emma knew she couldn't tell Henry that she thought Regina was still in town, at least not until she was sure, and maybe could explain his mother's reasoning to him. She wasn't sure it would matter to Henry that Regina hadn't actually said she'd be leaving Storybrooke. "She wouldn't lie to you, Henry." _Unless, of course, she thought it was what was best for you, kid._

That seemed to be enough to get her son out of his funk. "Did you find out anything at our house?"

_Our house? That was new._ Emma got up and walked to the kitchen counter a few steps away to get something to drink. "A lot of your mom's stuff is missing," she explained as she went about fixing them some cocoa. "She packed at least one bag and took a lot of books but I couldn't tell what else was missing. It did look like she was leaving for a long while, though." She didn't dare turn around to face him, not ready for the sad look she was sure would be back on Henry's face.

She jumped when Henry suddenly showed up next to her. "That makes sense," he said softly. "Mom never was any good at doing things only halfway." He watched Emma stir the cocoa. "But if she didn't have her car, how did she leave?"

Emma gave him a look.

"Oh," he said. "Magic." He thought for a long moment. "But doesn't that mean that she's still around here somewhere?"

Emma should have known not to underestimate their son. "I don't know, kid," she replied slowly. "But I'm going to ask someone who's better at magic than I am about that. It's possible she found a way to take it with her." Henry gave her a look that told her she wasn't really fooling him, so she decided to bite the bullet.

"The truth is, I think she's hiding somewhere where she thinks we can't find her." She started to pour the cocoa into two mugs. "I think she wanted to be away from everything but she really couldn't bear not to be near you in some way. She loves you too much, you know that."

Henry nodded and took one of the mugs. "I know." He sprinkled cinnamon on his cocoa, biting his lips as he was thinking. "Do you think she's watching us?" He sounded strangely happy at that thought.

Emma seriously considered the question. "No, I don't think so," she finally said."But you can never be sure, so you better brush your teeth and do your homework, kid."

Henry grinned into his cocoa. "Or I'll just let it all slide so she'll have to come home just to ground me."

_That's my son_ , Emma thought with a grin.

**o o o**

Emma and Henry talked about their respective days over a dinner of mac and cheese. Emma gave Henry more details of her trip to the mansion and the vault, although she left out the vanished bourbon bottle. Henry told her all the things Snow and Neal had said and done at brunch and later, but after the third or fourth "... and then Dad said ..." Emma's thoughts began to drift to Regina again. _She would hate the familiar way Henry calls Neal his dad,_ Emma decided. It bugged even her, so her imagination didn't have to jump too far to Regina's reaction.

"Are you even listening, Ma?" Henry suddenly asked.

Emma turned to her son. "Of course," she lied. "I just have a lot on my mind."

Henry gave her a small grin and shook his head. "It's weird, you know," he said around a spoonful of mac and cheese, "how much you sound like mom sometimes."

Emma only raised an eyebrow at that. She knew it had been happening more and more, and frankly she couldn't find too much wrong with that. "If I wanted to sound more like your mom," she teased Henry, "then I'd tell you not to speak with your mouth full, young man."

Predictably, Henry spewed a few chunks of mac and cheese he had still been chewing as he laughed. Then he grew more serious. "Do you think it's weird that I sometimes miss that?"

"Being told what not to do by your mom?"

"Yeah." He swallowed another bite. "I know I always got angry when she tried to tell me what to do but I think she just wanted me to have manners and behave right." He paused. "It made me feel like a little kid and I hated that but now ... I guess I wouldn't mind so much."

"It's not weird, Henry," Emma said equally seriously. "You had to grow up way too fast, faster than any little boy should, and after Neverland ... people don't always treat you like the boy you are, don't they?" She made a mental to remember to treat him more like the child he was but it was hard for her. Even after so many months of knowing her son, she still wasn't sure sometimes how to talk to him. Regina would know what to do and say, she was sure. _One more reason to find her quickly and bring her home._

They finished dinner in companionable silence before Henry went upstairs to what was now his room to do his homework. Emma had just settled on the sofa with a beer when someone knocked loudly on their door. She sighed softly and decided to ignore it. She was looking forward to a quiet evening of sitting on the sofa, staring at the wall and making plans for finding Regina, and whoever was on the other side of the door could just leave her alone.

Another knock, louder this time, bordering on banging. "Em," Neal shouted through the door. "Open up this damn door, I know you're in there."

Emma growled as she stood. If he kept this up, Henry would be down here in a second, and then she'd have to let him come inside, so she quickly walked over and whipped the door open with a snarl. "What do you want?"

Neal reared back at the tone in Emma's voice and the look on her face. "I ... Well ... you missed brunch and I wanted to talk to you. Can I come in?"

"No." Emma blocked his entry. "You don't get to talk to me, you don't get to come in, and if you're not very, very careful, you also don't get to see Henry again."

"What? Why? What did I do?"

"You know exactly what you did," Emma growled, poking him hard in the chest with her index finger. "I told you time and again to leave me alone, and you go and tell Snow that you're my true love?" She had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. "Are you fucking serious?" she hissed. "You know that's a lie, and now she's convinced you're my happy ever after."

Neal had the decency to blush. "But I could be your true love, if you just gave us a chance," he pleaded with her. "And it made Snow happy ... I didn't see any harm in-"

Emma laughed incredulously. "Of course you didn't," she said shaking her head. "Thinking about anyone but yourself always was too much of a challenge." She looked him straight in the eye as she continued. "Go away, Neal. Leave me alone and stop plotting with Snow to get to me."

"But Em ..."

"My name," Emma snarled, "is Emma." She closed the door but Neal's foot stopped it before she could shut it. The look on Emma's face was bordering on murderous. "Neal, I mean it. Go. Away. And don't come back. You can see Henry at Granny's or he can come to your place but you will not come back here. Ever."

Neal saw the look in Emma's eyes and for once decided to do the right thing and leave her alone. He gave her a curt nod and fled down the hallway.

Emma shut the door and locked it, before turning around and leaning against the door, eyes closed in relief.

"Was that my dad?" Henry asked from the foot of the stairs. "Why didn't he come in?"

Emma sighed. _Of course. _"Listen, Henry," she began. "I know you love your father and I don't mind you seeing him ... but _I_ don't want to see him, okay?" She pushed off of the door and walked over to the sofa, where she plopped gracelessly onto the cushions.

Henry joined her, his movements slightly hesitant. "But I thought ..."

"What did you think?" Emma had to work hard at not letting her impatience with Neal bleed through. "Let me guess: you thought he was my true love?"

Henry nodded eagerly. "Well, yeah ... I mean he's my dad."

Emma shook her head. "Henry, just because two people have a kid they don't have to be each other's true loves. I know you don't want to hear this but Neal definitely is _not_ my true love."

Henry seemed to digest that thought. "Who is then? Your true love?"

"I don't know," Emma said softly. _But I'm hoping it's someone really special to us both_.

"Well, then we have to find him!" Henry declared.

Emma ruffled his hair. "First we have to find your mom, kid." _And if I have any say in it, that might very well take care of finding my true love._ "Time for bed now, little prince," she added. "It's past your bedtime."

"That's what mom called me on the way back from Neverland," Henry mentioned with a sigh as he stood without complaint. "I miss her."

_I miss her too._

**o o o**

Regina woke up hours later in a pitch black room and a distinct urge to drink a bucket of water. With a lazy move of her hand she created a small fireball and threw it in the fireplace before getting to her feet with slow and measured movements. Her head hurt a little and she shot the bottle of Maker's Mark a baleful look as if it was its fault that a good third of it was missing.

After two large glasses of water she took a long shower, still trying to shake the cobwebs in her brain caused by the alcohol. The long shower helped a little, as had the nap and the water, but she knew she still wasn't anywhere near sober.

How else could she explain that her thoughts from before her nap were still swirling in her head? How else could she explain the harebrained idea that took root in her mind and refused to go away? How else could she _possibly_ explain that she would go to Storybrooke tonight to catch a glimpse of Emma and Henry. Just enough to tide her over the next few days, enough to know that they were safe and well, and happy.

Just to confirm that she made the right choice.

She dressed with more care than necessary for a mere trip into town to watch somebody from the shadows but she couldn't bring herself to mind. Nobody would see her … but if they did she would at least look presentable. And if she wore things she knew Emma would enjoy seeing on her — even if she wouldn't see her — so what? That was probably due to the alcohol coursing through her bloodstream as well. Besides, it was never bad to look your best.

Regina decided not to risk transporting herself into the apartment due to her slight state of inebriation, so she ended up in the alley behind Emma's apartment. The whole building was dark and quiet, just the way it should be at a little after midnight.

Regina straightened her shoulders and carefully walked inside the building. She listened at the door to Emma's apartment for a moment before trying the door handle.

Locked. _Well, that's an improvement. _Regina actually smiled before waving her hand.

The door opened soundlessly.

**o o o**

Emma tried to watch some TV after Henry had gone to bed but she couldn't focus on anything. Her thoughts were revolving around Regina and where she could be staying. _Hiding. _

She pulled up a mental plan of Storybrooke and realized quickly enough that there were large areas that she had never been to. For a small town there were a surprising amount of streets and wooded areas that she just didn't know. She sat up straight all of a sudden. Something was niggling at the back of her mind when she thought about the woods, as if there was a memory or thought trying to come out. She shook it off and made a note to get an actual map of Storybrooke tomorrow, and then start canvassing the town.

When she yawned for the third time in ten minutes she decided to head to bed. She pulled her shirt off as she walked around the makeshift room divider she had put up after Snow and David had moved out. She sure as hell didn't fancy sleeping in the open or have her son walk in on her when she was … relaxing, so she had pulled two large bookcases to the middle of the room and set them up at a right angle with her bed hidden behind. A small "doorway" between the bookcases was covered by a curtain. It wasn't the kind of privacy she would normally want but it was better than nothing.

She fell into bed in her tank top and panties and closed her eyes but as soon as she did she was wide awake. Thoughts of Regina and their moment on the _Jolly Roger_ on the way back from Neverland invaded every cell of her body. She shivered but it had nothing to do with the temperature in the room. It was the memory of holding Regina in her arms, of being that close to her, to have her nose pressed into that luxurious hair, to be immersed in the smell of her, the sounds she made.

She hardly even realized when her hand wandered down her body and into her panties but she gasped when her fingers encountered the wetness gathered there. How had she gotten this aroused this quickly? Her mind called up an image of Regina kneeling between her legs, running her fingers lightly along Emma's thighs and towards her core. She practically felt Regina pulling down her panties and leaning closer, closer, closer until her mouth covered her most sensitive spots. She ran her fingers along her labia the way the Regina in her mind ran her tongue along them, softly and lightly, up one side and down the other. Then the focus shifted towards her clit and she let out a groan when a fingernail touched it lightly, getting her so much closer to an embarrassingly quick orgasm. Only a few more moments, a few more licks from the woman in her mind, and she would explode. She pressed her fingers against her clit as her back arched, and she came with a short, sharp cry. "Oh God, Regina!"

Her whole body relaxed into the feeling of pleasant lassitude that rolled through her body, and it was then that she felt as if someone was watching her. She opened her eyes and looked around before she spotted the woman standing by her bed. "That was wonderful," she told the image of Regina with a smile, closing her eyes again. "But why are you dressed?"

She heard a gasp that sounded surprisingly real and made her open her eyes again. Regina was still standing at the foot of the bed, and even in the dim light Emma could see her blushing. Regina cleared her throat, looking somewhat uncomfortable, and torn between running away and tearing her own clothes off to join Emma on the bed.

At which point Emma realized that the woman in front of her was real. "Regina?" she asked quietly.

She could see the panic on Regina's face and the beginning of one of her classic magic hand moves, so she jumped up as fast as her relaxed body allowed. "No," she begged and she grabbed Regina's wrist. "Please don't go."


	7. Chapter 6: Spirited Away

**Disclaimer: I don't own them.**

**A/N: Again, a day late, sorry. But the chapter is - again - twice the size of a normal chapter because there really was no place where I could cut it in half ... Oh, and the rating has been changed.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Spirited Away**

Regina silently opened the door to Emma's apartment with a flick of her wrist. Everything was quiet and dark except for the soft glow of a lamp that came from behind some bookcases that hid a corner of the room. _Interesting. _She wondered what the purpose was but ultimately decided that it wasn't her business how Emma decorated her home as long as it didn't endanger Henry.

_Henry._ She held her breath at the thought of being able to see her son. She used a muffling spell to silence her steps as she climbed up the stairs but she was so excited to see Henry that she forgot to cast the light sleeping spell she had used the night she dropped off her letter.

The door to Henry's room stood ajar. Regina gently pushed it open a little wider and stepped inside. Tonight he was alone, his other mother nowhere in sight. _She must sleep downstairs in that nook,_ Regina realized, shaking her head. This was no apartment to raise a growing boy. She should have told Emma to take over the mansion in her letter. That was Henry's home, that was where he should live. Maybe she should leave Emma a note?

There was night light stuck in a socket by the door, another new addition that hadn't been there the last time she was here. She really hoped that he didn't have too many nightmares after Neverland but there was no way to know for sure unless she talked to him or Emma, which she wanted to avoid at all costs. She just couldn't. Speaking to them would mean she would have to stay because she doubted she would ever be able to disappear again. It already hurt too much this first time around.

Henry muttered incoherently in his sleep and moved around a little but didn't seem to have a nightmare. Regina breathed deeply in relief knowing that if Henry had even so much as groaned she'd be beside him on that bed clinging to him, and that was not what he needed. He needed stability, and the family he'd always wished for, and she was in the way, no matter how much it hurt.

Her vision started to get blurry and Regina realized that she was crying. She scolded herself for being so overly emotional that she couldn't stop herself from coming here. She should have known better. She would just leave silently, and this time she wouldn't return. She backed out of the room without a sound and gave Henry one last look before closing the door behind her. _I love you, my little prince. Be happy._

Regina had no intention of looking in on Emma in her makeshift room after leaving Henry's bedroom. She expected to just leave as silently as she had come. What she _didn't_ expect were the sounds coming from Emma's nook. It almost sounded as if someone was … _but no, that couldn't be. _Maybe Emma was in pain, _yes, that had to be it. _

She slowly followed the noise, focusing very hard so as not to stumble and fall. Considering she was still feeling some effects from the alcohol, and the room was lit only by that low light she had noticed before, it was quite difficult to navigate the room. Once she had found the opening between the bookcases, Regina carefully peeked around the corner. What she saw made her jaw drop.

Emma was lying on top of her covers, one hand inside her red panties, the other bunched up in her wife beater. Her hips were moving at a steady rhythm but Emma didn't look like she was consciously doing it. It was painfully clear what was going on and, judging from the frequency of the moans and the way those fingers and hips moved, had been going on for quite some time.

Regina decided to leave. _Immediately._ She didn't need to watch Emma bringing herself to an orgasm, probably to the thoughts of Henry's imbecilic father. She _needed_ to leave.

Except she couldn't. She did move her feet but all they did was take her closer to the bed, closer to Emma. Unbidden, Regina's hands reached out as if they wanted to take over. And Regina did want that. More than anything she wanted to be the one that coaxed those sounds from Emma's throat, wanted to be the one who Emma pressed up against, trying to get closer and closer still. Regina felt her own body temperature rising as arousal shot through her. She tore her eyes away from Emma's hand, desperately trying to regain her composure but as soon as her eyes landed on Emma's face she realized what a huge mistake that was.

The look on Emma's face almost was her undoing and she barely managed to bite back a whimper at the sight. Rapture, arousal, focus, all played tag across Emma's beautiful features, and Regina found herself spellbound. She stopped breathing, stopped moving, stopped everything, and just focused on Emma's closed eyes, _please please stay closed_, and her mouth, half open. Regina almost lost it again when Emma's tongue came out to wet her lips, once, twice, then retreated to make room for the loudest moan yet.

Emma's whole body now moved, faster, and faster still, until her back arched and … "Oh God, Regina!"

Regina gasped softly, shocked and disbelieving. _How could that be? Surely this was a trick of some kind. Had Emma known she was there the whole time? Was that her punishment for sneaking into the apartment? _Whatever it was, it was definitely time to run. _Now._

But then Emma opened her eyes and looked straight at her. _And smiled?_ She looked a little confused but relaxed and sated. "That was wonderful," Emma whispered, closing her eyes again. "But why are you dressed?"

This time Regina's gasp was so loud that Emma opened her eyes again to stare straight at her, as if only now realizing that she was, in fact, really standing there. Regina went in full-on panic mode. She needed to get out of there, out and far, far away. She flicked her hand to transport herself to the safe haven of her cabin when Emma's hand suddenly closed around her wrist. "Please don't go."

_Too late_ , Regina realized a moment later when she stared into the dying embers of the fire in her cabin, Emma hanging onto her, dizzy and disoriented. _Well, that did not go as planned, _Regina thought. _What am I going to do now?_

"What the hell?" Emma gasped, arousal dissipating a little in the wake of the nauseating experience of being transported by magic. "Where did you drag me off to? Why did you do that?"

"If memory serves correctly, Ms. Swan," Regina snarled, "it was you who latched onto me, not the other way round. Don't worry, I'll be sending you right back." Her voice was harder than she wanted as her nerves and confusion over what she had witnessed got the better of her.

"No!" Emma shouted. "Don't!"

"Do make up your mind, Ms. Swan." Regina called forth a nice fireball in her hand and saw Emma take a step back. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please," she scoffed. "Really? Why on earth would I kill you?"

Emma had the grace to give her a sheepish grin. "Yeah, sorry," she mumbled. "I'm not really firing on all cylinders right now … not after …" She trailed off with a blush. "And I feel kinda naked, which doesn't help."

Regina tossed the fireball into the stone fireplace which immediately ignited the magically restacked firewood and provided some much-needed light. When Emma mentioned her lack of clothing she couldn't resist running her eyes slowly up and down Emma's body.

"Stop that," Emma murmured in a low voice but it didn't sound angry. In fact, it sounded more like an invitation to continue to Regina who raised an eyebrow at the thought, and ran her eyes up Emma's torso once more. She watched as her nipples hardened under her gaze until Emma crossed her arms in front of her chest. Only then did Regina look at Emma's face which was a nice shade of red.

"Tell me, Ms. Swan," Regina said, feeling a lot more in control, now that she had Emma at a disadvantage. "Why would you be blushing at standing here in front of me like that when not fifteen minutes ago you —-"

Emma held up a hand. "Stop right there," she demanded. "What the hell were you even doing watching me? You can't just creep into other people's houses to watch them … sleep. Or doing … stuff."

Emma saw with surprise that Regina looked actually uncomfortable at that. She also realized that the other woman tried to look anywhere but at Emma.

Regina sighed. "It wasn't my int-"

"Regina," Emma interrupted her, but not harshly. "Not that I'm not interested in your explanation but ... er ... could you get me a pair of pants or something first?"

"If you insist." Regina waved her hand and Emma found herself dressed in tight jeans, a white button-down shirt, and a black vest on top.

"Thanks." Emma visibly relaxed. "One day you have to teach me how to do that. Although half of this isn't exactly from my closet." She raised a questioning eyebrow at Regina but her face froze at the look on Regina's face. She couldn't remember ever seeing Regina look at somebody like that. Like she wanted to eat her alive.

Regina nodded at Emma, her throat suddenly dry. If she had thought Emma in her tank top and panties was sexy, she had no words for how her body reacted to the woman dressed like that. Or maybe it was just the lingering arousal from watching her earlier. Regina suddenly had trouble focusing. What had they been talking about? And why were her hands shaking all of a sudden?

"So?" Emma exuded much more confidence fully dressed and with the knowledge that she affected Regina in some way. "What the hell were you doing in my bedroom in the middle of the night?" Her voice wasn't angry any more and had taken on a darker timbre.

"I ... It wasn't ...," Regina stuttered. "I came to see ... Henry," she finally replied. "I had to see that he was all right, that he wasn't suffering any after-effects from Neverland."

Emma deflated a little. "Henry? That's it? You just decided to watch Henry sleep for a while?"

"You sound disappointed, dear," Regina remarked with a smirk.

Emma ignored her. "Why did you disappear?" She ran a hand through her hair. "I've been looking all over for you. Henry misses you." _Come on, bite the bullet. _"I missed you."

Regina scoffed. "Tell me, Ms. Swan," she said loftily, "when did you start your no doubt extensive search for me?"

Emma bit her lip. "This morning," she admitted.

"And yet I left almost a week ago," Regina reminded her casually, although Emma could swear she heard more than a hint of hurt in her tone. "Seems like neither my son nor you could have missed me as much as you claim."

"I didn't even realize you were gone, dammit!" Emma yelled, frustrated at having her admission thrown in her face.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Regina asked. "That my son and the woman I ... that my son didn't even _notice_ that his mother had been missing for a week?" Regina bit the inside of her cheek, hoping that Emma would ignore what she had almost revealed. "I left him a letter ..." she added, sounding a little lost.

"I know," Emma gentled her tone. "He found it pretty soon, I think, but he only told me about it this morning." She looked up to see tears gathering in Regina's eyes. "Hey, Henry didn't ignore it because he doesn't care. He told me he had a bad feeling about it and was scared of what it might say. He was just trying to avoid pain. And then there was so much going on with Snow and David moving out and Neal being around all the time, and—"

"Ah yes." Regina rolled her eyes. "Rumple's moronic son."

"Hey," Emma said. "That is Henry's father you're talking about." Not that she actually disagreed considering how much he gad gotten on her nerve since his return from the dead.

"I'm hardly going to forget that horrible fact," Regina growled. "Not to mention that I'm probably not supposed to speak ill of the Savior's true love." She closed her eyes with a sigh and turned towards the fire. "I'm just glad Henry comes after you more than he comes after his father."

"And after you, Regina," Emma reminded her softly. "You might not have given him your DNA but he's your son in all the ways it counts." Then Emma finally realized what else Regina had said. "Wait a second! Who says Neal is my true love?"

"Well, it's what everyone thinks, isn't it?" Regina spoke into the fire, holding on to the mantle as a wave of misery ran through her body at the thought. "I know that Snow considers it a fact, and Rumple told me the same thing on the way to Neverland."

"Gold told you ... why would he ...? Okay, stop." Emma took a calming breath. "That makes no sense whatsoever," she muttered.

"Doesn't it?" Regina asked as calmly as she could. "You are Henry's parents and he's such a good boy that the conclusion isn't that far-fetched. And Henry wants so much for it to be true, so he can finally have the family he's always dreamed of."

And there it was, the confirmation of what Emma had suspected since Regina had disappeared. "So you ran because you couldn't stand to see Neal around Henry?" _Please say that wasn't the only reason._

"I didn't run," Regina insisted. "I simply removed myself from the equation, so Henry can have his happy ending. He deserves one."

"What about me though?" Emma asked, slowly walking closer to Regina. "Don't I deserve a happy ending? I am the Savior, after all."

Emma's tone held just a hint of teasing but Regina was in no mood for that. Not when the woman she loved spoke of her happy ending with Henry's father and _her_ son. She turned away from the fire and was surprised to see how close Emma had gotten to her. "Of course you deserve a happy ending," she ground out as she walked around Emma to get away from her. She needed room, breathing space, just ... room to get her heart and mind back on the same page. "It's what Henry wants; for you all to be happy together."

Emma watched Regina's reaction to her closely, registered the nuances on her face, listened to the tone of her voice. And the longer she watched and listened and thought about Neverland, and the boat trip back, the looks, that night, the more she was positive that this was not just about Henry.

"So we're back to Henry," Emma commented, rolling her eyes as she followed Regina around the room. This was a dance, and she needed to bridge this space between them.

"What do you mean? _Everything_ is about Henry." Regina was running out of space to turn and walk around. Wherever she turned, Emma was there a moment later. _She's trying to drive me crazy! _Regina looked around her cabin. _The bedroom maybe but Emma would probably just follow,_ she thought. _Would that be so bad?_, another voice in her head asked reasonably. _You could just admit that you love her and end this charade. _Thatwas _not_ going to happen but she was beginning to feel cornered.

"I don't know what you want from me, Ms. Swan!" Regina erupted, knowing she sounded defensive but unable to do anything about it. She had long ago lost the ability to control her reactions where Emma Swan was concerned.

Emma inched closer to Regina, observing her like she would a trapped and hurt animal. She wished she knew what was going on in her mind. "What I mean is that I think this isn't just about Henry," she said softly. "What I want is for you to come home, Regina."

Regina laughed darkly. "So I can watch my son be happy with another family?" she scoffed. "So I can watch …" She stopped herself. There was no way she would tell Emma about her feelings. "So I can watch Rumple's son play happy families with Henry and the Charmings?"

Emma had had enough. "You know, for a smart woman you're really dense sometimes."

"I don't understand …"

"You watched me as I touched myself not even half an hour ago," Emma said, sounding both a little exasperated and amused. "And I don't think it was Neal's name on my lips when I came."

Regina just stared, unable to come up with a response. Finally she swallowed. "What are you—?"

Again, Emma didn't let her finish. "Oh, for fuck's sake," she growled as she grabbed Regina and kissed her, hard, pressing her body up against the door of the cabin. Regina didn't respond for a long moment, long enough that Emma started to doubt her ability to read the situation, but then she growled low in her throat and kissed back.

Their lips parted and met again and again, hard, gently, tenderly, with ever-growing abandon. Emma's tongue traced the scar on Regina's upper lip, something she had wanted to do forever, and was welcomed between parting lips, then sucked into the warmth of Regina's mouth. The kiss deepened, tongues exploring, dancing, playing with each other. A groan escaped Emma's throat at the need that pooled in her lower belly at the intensity of that kiss, the still lingering arousal in her body coming back full force.

Emma's hands wandered up and down Regina's body, tracing lines from her shoulders to her hips and back, pushing off the blazer she wore along the way. She marveled at the change in Regina's breathing at the tender touches, how it hitched, then continued, faster and even more uneven than before.

Their lips parted and Emma moved her mouth to Regina's neck, nibbling, licking, whispering over skin that erupted in goose bumps wherever she went. The surge of power that went through Emma was unbelievable, the knowledge that she was finally able to be this close to Regina making her lightheaded. Regina gasped loudly when Emma's hands cupped her breasts through her shirt and bra, and thumbs played over rapidly hardening nipples. The moan that came from her mouth was low and sensual, and Emma moaned in sympathy at the sound.

Emma's hands explored, teased, touched until neither woman could stand the clothes between Emma's hands and Regina's skin any longer. Emma grabbed the bottom of Regina's shirt and ripped it open, ignoring the buttons that were flying everywhere. She opened the front clasp of the black lace bra to remove the final barrier between her and those wonderful breasts, and moaned when her finger touched Regina's skin for the first time. "Gods, Regina," she rumbled low in her throat, her breath teasing Regina's ear. "I want you so much." She bit her earlobe for good measure and was rewarded by a gasp and the incredible feeling of having Regina's core rocking against her thigh.

"Emma," Regina groaned when she discovered that her earlobe had a direct connection to her core. It was the first thing she had said since they had started kissing but the timbre of her voice with just the one word told Emma all she needed to know. Regina wanted her just as much as she wanted Regina.

All Regina knew was that she wanted to feel Emma inside her, hard and fast. She wanted to be surrounded by Emma, fell her on every surface of her body, inside and out, wanted to let herself believe that this could be her happy ending, if only for a moment. Even knowing that this couldn't possibly be real, couldn't possibly be what Emma really wanted.

Emma looked into Regina's eyes and saw the need in them that matched her own. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Regina interrupted her. "Please don't say anything, Ms. Swan," she begged breathlessly, and pushed her core harder against Emma's leg to show her how much she wanted this.

"My _name_ is Emma," the blonde growled as she moved down to nip on Regina's hardened nipples, first one, then the other. She could feel Regina's hands moving into her hair, grabbing on roughly and directing her mouth where she wanted to feel it. Emma didn't mind; she wanted this to be good for Regina. She moved one hand down to pop open the button on Regina's jeans, saddened for a moment that she hadn't taken the time to really appreciate the fact that Regina was wearing casual clothes and how much she rocked that look. Her fingers sneaked inside the pants and encountered damp lace. "You want me," she moaned. "You actually want me," she repeated in wonder.

Regina bit her lip hard to stop herself from screaming that _yes, she wanted Emma_, or that she wanted her to _just take her, take her, and make her come_. If this was a fluke, then she wouldn't be able to live with having given Emma the satisfaction of knowing how much she craved her touch. She needed to hold back, needed to hold onto something she could rebuild herself from once this came to its inevitable end. So she let her body do the talking for her as she pushed her aching core against Emma's hand, praying the blonde would get the hint.

She did.

Emma couldn't believe her luck. She vowed then and there that she would do whatever Regina needed from her, now and forever, protecting her, loving her, and, right now, giving her release. She let go of the wonderful breasts she was feasting upon and returned to those beautiful lips for another kiss. This kiss was different from the others, soft and almost sweet, a counterpoint to the jerky movements of their hips against each other.

Regina's whole body was burning, fire pulsing through her veins and little sticks of dynamite exploding wherever Emma touched her. She arched her body into Emma's touch, pressing as much of herself as possible into the woman she loved, needed, wanted. Her hands were wrapped in wild blonde hair, clenching and unclenching. When Emma let loose with a groan that sounded more like pain than pleasure, Regina loosened her grip and dug her hands into Emma's shoulders instead, needing something to ground her.

Emma slipped inside the lace panties and trailed her fingertips through Regina's damp curls. She wanted more room to touch, to linger, to try different things but she didn't want to stop to move them somewhere else. "God, you're so wet," she breathed in excitement. Regina's body lifted almost off the ground when Emma's fingers grazed her swollen clit.

Emma delighted in Regina's reactions and for a second regretted that it would be over soon. But she wanted to give Regina what she needed, so she traced her fingers along her lover's outer lips with gentle determination.

Regina's body writhed against the door, passion and need turning her body inside out. She became afraid that her legs wouldn't be able to bear her weight much longer but just as she felt her knees actually buckle when Emma entered her for the first time, she felt an arm around her waist and a lean body pressing her more securely against the door. Regina groaned; she couldn't think, only feel, and she realized somewhere in between sensations that she had never felt that good.

Emma set a slow, steady rhythm, pushing two fingers in as deeply as she could given the constrictions she had to work with. She curled her fingers inside in a come hither motion and fluttered the fingertips against a spot that brought forth an almost tortured groan from Regina. Emma smiled and did it again, just to be sure. She could feel Regina pressing into her harder and harder, her movements uncontrolled and demanding, and Emma followed her commands. She sped up her rhythm, pushing harder, faster, and soon could feel Regina's muscles tighten around her fingers. She pulled out and pushed back in, adding another finger, ignoring the pained sensation in her hand and wrist.

Regina saw colors exploding behind her closed eyelids and her heart skipped a beat as she felt Emma pull out and enter her again, filling her even more. Everything seemed to crash inside her and all around her, the world tilting for one glorious moment. She came silently, almost biting a hole in her bottom lip to stop herself from screaming Emma's name, choosing instead to dig her fingers into Emma's shoulders hard enough to leave marks as her body gave in to pleasure.

Emma was close to coming herself when she felt Regina's muscles clench around her fingers, holding them inside, trying to pull them deeper, tightening as wave after wave of pleasure pulsed through Regina's body. When Regina dug her fingers painfully into her shoulder, she pushed her fingers in deeply once more and pressed her thumb against Regina's clit. In reaction, Regina raised one leg off the ground, inadvertently pressing against Emma's core, pushing her into a small orgasm as well.

Emma had no idea how long they were standing there, pressed against the door, her fingers still buried deep inside Regina, when she felt the other woman's body sag. Emma slowly, gently pulled her fingers out and wiped them against her shirt. She felt Regina sink to the floor, her body made of jello, and guided her down, wrapped against her body.

"Holy shit, Regina," Emma breathed once they were lying next to each other on the cold floor. She gave Regina her most brilliant smile but that soon froze and fell when she saw how Regina's eyes became distant once more. And then it hit Emma. _Oh my God, I just basically took her against a door. Congratulations on fucking up your first time with the woman you love, Swan. You moron!_ "I'm … I'm sorry, Regina," she started to apologize, breath still a little uneven. "I didn't mean to—"

Regina sat up and held out a hand to stop Emma. There it was, the moment she had dreaded, the moment when Emma realized what a monumental mistake she had just made. But knowing what was coming, and actually being able to hear the words coming out of Emma's mouth were two very different things, and Regina wasn't sure she could take it. "Don't bother, Ms. Swan," Regina rasped, voice low and rough. "I understand completely."

Emma stared at her from her position on the floor. "That makes one of us," she whispered confusion written all over her face. "What's going on, Regina? Talk to me."

But Regina didn't want to talk, didn't want the illusion to shatter. Not right now, at least. She moved her hand and a second later Emma found herself back in her bedroom, confused, uncertain, and more than a little angry.

"What the fuck, Regina?"

And she still had no idea where Regina was hiding.


	8. Chapter 7: Desperately Seeking

**Disclaimer: Not my characters. Pity.**

**A/N: Thank you all for the many reviews after the last chapter. I haven't been able to reply to all of them yet because real life has been kicking my but this week, but I do appreciate every single one of them.**

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**Chapter 7: Desperately Seeking …**

Regina lay on the floor for a long time after she had sent Emma away. Her mind was in turmoil but her body was strangely calm and relaxed, and that was a most unsettling contrast. Finally, she got herself together enough to get to her feet and walk into her bedroom, pulling her disheveled clothes off her body.

She took what felt like the longest shower of her life, letting the never-ending hot water soothe her busy mind. At the end of her shower, she wondered what Emma was thinking, doing, feeling right now only every other minute, and she celebrated that by going to bed with a nightcap.

Even after the shower her senses insisted they were smelling Emma in the air around her. _What had Emma been trying to say to explain herself?_ Emma had been so sure in her actions, in the way she took Regina. Was she really going to apologize for that? Or was it something else she wanted to say. _Maybe you should have let her talk_, she reminded herself. _At least then you'd know for sure that she rejected you. _

Not being certain was going to be the death of her, especially now … after _that_.

Now that she had felt Emma's touch, knew what it was like to be kissed by her, loved by her, held by her, how on earth was she supposed to forget it and move on? How was she going to survive without it?

Regina fell into a restless sleep with thoughts of Emma running through her mind and the memorized scent of Emma surrounding her, her body aching for Emma's arms around her.

Her drink remained untouched.

**o o o**

Emma was completely out of sorts the next morning, after too little rest and a night spent thinking about Regina and what had happened between them. There had been no thought of sleep with her body wired and running on arousal and adrenaline while her mind kept spinning around the enigma that was Regina.

After hours of tossing and turning Emma had come to at least one conclusion about their encounter … or maybe it was two. Regina wanted her as much as she wanted Regina. And Regina was scared. What Emma hadn't been able to figure out was what exactly had Regina so terrified that she couldn't stand Emma's presence or why she had run away.

She was still pondering the questions when she sent Henry off to school and when she took a long shower that made her late for work. She was distracted on the drive to the station by thoughts of how she could find her way back to Regina's hiding spot. There had to be a way to track magic somehow but her own magic abilities were not evolved enough to figure it out on her own. With Gold gone that left either the Blue Fairy or Tink, and Emma knew instantly which woman she would prefer.

"Are you okay?" David's question roused her from her musings.

"Yeah, sure," she replied automatically. "Why?"

"Well, for one I've been saying good morning for about two minutes straight now," David explained. "And you haven't said anything yet, so …" He motioned for Emma to jump in and explain her behavior. When she didn't he sighed. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

Emma was inexplicably annoyed that her father had managed to interrupt her thinking and planning. "Did Snow put you up to this?"

David gave her a strange look. "Put me up to what?"

"Nothing." _She_ sure as hell wasn't going to start this conversation.

"Is this about you walking out of the brunch with Snow and Neal yesterday?" David asked knowingly. "Did something happen with Neal?"

Emma looked up at the protective undertone in David's question. "Did Snow say something to you? Or Neal?"

"Neal stays as far away from me as possible," David replied with a smirk. "He knows what's good for him. I'm not about to forgive him for what he did to you just because he came back from the dead."

Emma smiled, the first genuine smile that day. "I wish he'd stay away from me, too," she stated softly, "but he doesn't seem to get the message, no matter how often I tell him."

David nodded, sudden understanding on his face. "And it doesn't help at all that Snow keeps trying to get you two together." Emma nodded with a grimace. "I can talk to her, if you want," David offered.

"Can't hurt," Emma agreed. "I already told her but she just won't listen."

"I know." David patted Emma's shoulder. "Once she gets an idea in her head, it's hard to talk her out of it. At least you come by it honestly."

"Are you saying I'm stubborn?"

David held up his hands. "I'm saying you're … tenacious," he amended with a wide grin. "If you want something, you'll go after it."

"That's not as easy as it sounds," Emma muttered. "What if you can't get what you want? What if you want something that doesn't want you back?"

"Something? Or some_one_?" David asked gently. "Is there someone you have your eye on?"

Emma got up from her chair. "David … Dad, I appreciate the question but I don't … can't talk about it." She grabbed the cruiser keys and her leather jacket. "I'm going on patrol, don't know when I'll be back."

David could only nod and wonder what was going on with his daughter. He had seen her confused, he had seen her angry, but he had never seen her like this. He made a mental note to talk to Snow; if he could help Emma by keeping Neal away from her and by telling Snow to stop her meddling, he would do his best to do it.

He looked up when Emma stormed back through the door. "Do we have a map of Storybrooke?" she asked, sounding as if she had run through half the town in the last two minutes. "Not just the town … with the woods around it and everything?"

David reached into a drawer and wordlessly handed her what looked like a thick brown bundle. Emma unfolded it, just to look at it in bewilderment. "This is hand-drawn," she commented. "On parchment."

"It's the most accurate map we have," David reassured her. "We had the dwarves draw it up and Gold checked it once it was done. It's not like you can find Storybrooke on Google Maps."

There was a gleam in Emma's eyes. "Does Regina know this exists?"

David shook his head once and Emma took off again with a grin.

**o o o**

Regina couldn't remember when she'd ever woken up this late. Her mornings normally started at 6am, not 10. She shook her head, disgusted with her lazy behavior, before rolling out of bed. She checked herself in the bathroom and almost reared back. She looked different, and not just because of the way her hair was sticking all over the place after going to bed with wet hair the night before. No, it was something in her face, her eyes, an expression she almost didn't recognize as it had been so long since she'd seen it.

Regina shook her head again, trying to get rid of the expression and the feeling behind it. There was no place for it in her life, in her situation. Who had need for _hope_? Hope couldn't make you happy. Or even content. No, hope meant you were always chasing after something you couldn't have, something that was always just out of reach.

Just like Emma Swan.

Regina let out her breath in a long exhale as the memories of her encounter with Emma came flooding back. The smells, the taste of Emma's lips and mouth, the feel of her in her arms, the confident way Emma pushed her against the door and made Regina hers. It had been fast, it had been anything but romantic but in many ways, Regina mused, it had been _them_.

Then Emma had ruined it by opening her mouth. And Regina had magically kicked her out. Despite the lump in her throat, Regina smirked at her reflection because, frankly, that had been _so very them_ as well.

Regina tamed her hair, washed her face and brushed her teeth, pushing thoughts of Emma from her mind, or at least trying to. She couldn't afford to think too much, to analyze what had happened, knowing it would drive her crazy in no time. Already, every fiber of her being pushed her to get dressed and transport to wherever Emma was to drag her somewhere far away for a repeat performance. Only this time, she would be the one to take what she so desperately desired.

Regina had some coffee, then went to check the border. She paused at the door, resting her hand against it for a moment, imagining she could still feel the warmth of their bodies against it. Outside, she took a deep breath to get her equilibrium back. She wished she had thought of bringing a horse to the cabin, knowing that a long ride and the task of caring for a horse would bring her peace. Maybe a visit to the stables was in order …

Regina walked briskly towards her first border marker but slowed down as soon as she got close enough to realize something was wrong.

The border was down.

For a moment Regina stood still as a rock, listening to the sounds of the wind in the trees, waiting for an attack that didn't come. Who or what would have the power to take down her borders without her noticing? Why had her backup and warning system not alerted her or repaired the damage? What had happened between yesterday and today that could have done this?

And then it hit her.

"Emma." Regina breathed the name into the forest, watching as her breath ruffled a leaf, causing it to slowly drift to the ground. "But that would mean …" She couldn't finish the thought, didn't _dare_ finish it. There was no way Emma loved her back, and … _this_ … would only work if Emma felt the same way.

Only true love's kiss would break curses, and any spell that threatened to keep the lovers apart. Regina swallowed. Maybe she should have listened to what Emma had wanted to say the night before. Maybe she should have extended a little more trust to the woman she loved.

Despite feeling a little overwhelmed, Regina smiled as she began the tedious work of rebuilding her defenses, this time adding a proviso: her true love would still not be able to _see_ through the border but the magic would recognize her and let her pass if she managed to stumble across it.

Knowing Emma, that would happen sooner rather than later. And possibly literally as well as figuratively.

**o o o**

Emma drove to the harbor, hoping she would find who she was looking for at the docks or on the _Jolly Roger_.

"Hello there, Swan," Hook greeted her with a wide grin. "Finally come to your senses? Finally decided I'm the only man for you?"

Emma snorted. "Yeah, right."

Hook shrugged it off. "Can't fault a man for trying."

"And trying and trying and trying …" Emma shook her head. "What is it with you guys that you can't take no for an answer?"

Hook raised an eyebrow. "Trouble with the boyfriend, love?"

"I don't have one, so no," Emma replied as she looked around the deck distractedly.

"Looking for something specific, luv?"

"Someone," Emma replied. "Someone that's not you," she amended when she saw Hook opening his mouth.

To her surprise, the pirate actually looked a little sad at that. "She's below deck," he replied quietly. "I'll get her for you."

"There's no need," Tink said from the doorway that led to the lower decks. "What can I do for you, Savior?"

"Not call me that, for one." Tink nodded as she moved closer to Hook and came to a stop very close to him. Emma took note of that with a smile. _They fit_, she thought. "I have a question about magic."

"And you're asking me?" Tink looked surprised. "Why don't you ask Regina?"

Emma hesitated. She didn't want to divulge that Regina had disappeared but she needed information. "It's _about_ Regina, at least indirectly," she finally said.

"Okay," Tink drawled. "I hope I can help you. My magic is mostly a thing of the past."

"Mostly?" Emma had thought it was gone for good.

"A tiny spark comes back sometimes," Tink explained. "Especially when I … we …" She stopped and looked at Hook with a blush, and Emma was happy to see that the pirate didn't show one of his superior smirks and was instead looking slightly uncomfortable as well. "Please, nobody knows," Tink rushed out. "We would like to keep it that way for now."

Emma smiled. "Don't worry," she said. "I can keep a secret."

"You're probably the only one in your family who can," Hook joked.

"Nah, Henry's pretty good at it, too," Emma replied. "For what it's worth, I think you two look good together."

Hook and Tink shared a look, then smiled at Emma. "Thank you."

Emma cleared her throat. "Is there any way to track magic when someone has used a spell?" she asked.

"That depends on many factors," Tink replied. "How much magic went into the spell, how much time has passed since it was cast …"

"It was a transportation spell," Emma clarified quickly. "So, hypothetically speaking, if someone was transported from one place to another, could they find their way back to the original place by tracking the magic trail?"

Tink gave her a knowing look. "When did this happen?" she asked. "Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"Last night," Emma said. "Around 2am."

Tink sighed. "That's probably too long ago." She smiled suddenly. "At least for normal human beings like us. Maybe a magic user could still find a trace or—"

"How about someone with exceptional senses?"

"Like a werewolf?" Tink knew about Ruby and her special _abilities_. "It's possible … but very unlikely. Like I said, it's been too long."

"Oh." Emma had hoped this would get her closer to Regina but it seemed like it was just another dead end. "Thank you anyway."

Emma turned and made her way off the ship and onto the dock. Before she could reach the cruiser a hand on her arm stopped her. "Wait, Emma."

"Yes?"

"You're trying to track Regina, right?" Tink asked confidently. When Emma hesitated she continued. "I went to her house three days ago, and then the day after but she was never home, so I'm thinking you're trying to find her as well." Still Emma hesitated. "I'm not going to tell anyone," Tink added reassuringly. "Not even Hook, if you prefer that."

Emma let out a sigh. "Regina is hiding somewhere," she explained grudgingly. "And I'm not sure why yet." She leaned against the cruiser and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "She … accidentally transported me to her hiding place last night and we … talked a little and—"

"You argued, she sent you back, you have no idea where she is?" Tink finished for Emma, her long experience with Regina helping to fill in the blanks.

"Exactly." Emma felt a certain sense of relief that she could talk about this with another adult now. "I need to find her, Tink."

Something in her voice must have alerted Tink to Emma's feelings. "You love her," she stated, her tone showing a certain sense of awe.

Emma just nodded, unable to find her voice.

"Do you think she's your true love?" Tink asked. She didn't even wait for Emma to react before she continued quickly, almost stumbling over her words. "If she _is_ your true love, I might be able to help you, but I would have to get my hands on some fairy dust first."

"You can help?" There was so much hope in Emma's voice that Tink felt its pressure around her chest.

"I said I might be able to, and only if Regina is destined to be with you," Tink replied patiently. "The Blue Fairy would be much better suited to help you, actually. She enough fairy dust, I bet."

Emma barked out a laugh. "That's not going to happen," she muttered. "Regina would kill me."

"I'll do what I can, I promise."

Tink didn't sound too confident but she was all Emma had for now so she gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Emma watched Tink walk back to the ship as she herself got into the cruiser. _Next stop: Granny's diner._ She needed someone with an exceptional nose.

Coffee and a bearclaw wouldn't hurt either.


	9. Chapter 8: Practical Magic

**Disclaimer: Not my characters. But given that we're all writing fanfic to someone else's AU fanfic of (mostly) Grimm's Fairy Tales, ...**

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**Chapter 8: Practical Magic**

Regina decided to take a hike in the forest, still on edge after restoring the magical protection around her border. Ignoring her tiredness after expanding a huge amount of energy through magic, she set off in the direction of her cabin.

She hadn't taken more than five steps when her thoughts went back to Emma, _again_. She wondered what the other woman was doing at the moment, where she might be. She imagined her at her desk at the sheriff station, maybe lazily throwing crumpled paper into the trash can in the corner. Or maybe she was driving around town in her cruiser, window open, the light breeze riffling her hair. _Oh my Gods, you are in so much trouble. _Regina cringed so hard at her own cheesy thoughts and the idiotic smile on her own face that she barely noticed the slight tingle at her lower back. She ignored it, focusing her thoughts as she walked inside her cabin to grab a jacket.

She set off from her cabin a few minutes later, dressed in a pair of dark jeans, hiking boots, which really didn't go all that well with the black leather blazer she was wearing, but Regina couldn't have cared less for once. She had other things on her mind. Before she had consciously decided on a direction, her feet began carrying towards where the stables lay.

Well, she had wanted to see the horses anyway.

**o o o**

The diner was between morning rush and lunch frenzy when Emma got there, so she simply grabbed a stool at the counter and waited for Ruby to come over.

"Hey, Emma, the usual?"

"Coffee and a bearclaw, please."

Emma gave Ruby a small smile but her mind was already mulling over how to ask Ruby for help without giving too much away. Ruby was still her mother's best friend, and Emma wasn't too keen on Snow finding out that Regina was missing, or why exactly Emma was so adamant about finding her. She didn't even have to stretch her imagination to see Snow's reaction if she found out that Emma was in love with Regina. _When_ she found out because there was no question that she would, although if Emma had her say it would probably the morning of her wedding to Regina.

_Stop jumping three steps ahead, Swan. You're not even the marrying kind. And neither is Regina. _At least as far as Emma knew.

Ruby placed Emma's order down but the sheriff hardly reacted. "Want to talk about it?"

Emma looked up. "Huh?"

Ruby laughed. "You look like something's bothering you," she explained. "I'm a pretty good listener."

Emma sighed. "You're also Snow's best friend, and there are things in my life I don't want her to know about." It came out without her conscious decision but it was probably good to be honest. "At least not yet."

Ruby reared back, looking a little wounded. "Do you actually think I'd run straight back to Snow and tell her whatever you told me in confidence?" Her tone was more than a little offended. "I'm your friend too."

Emma mustered her. "And what if it was something of imminent interest to my mother, something you _know_ she would expect you to share?" she asked softly. "What if it was something Snow would never forgive you for … if she found out you knew and didn't tell?"

"You make it sound as if it was something life-changing," Ruby muttered. "I know Snow better than that. I can't imagine there was anything that Snow wouldn't forgive you or me for."

"I wouldn't bet on it."

Ruby bit her lip and leaned closer to Emma. "We're talking about something to do with Regina, right?" she offered in a low whisper.

Emma blinked. "How did you know?"

"Oh, please," Ruby snorted. "Give me _some_ credit. It's the only thing that could drive Snow crazy enough not to forgive either one of us, depending on what it is," she replied. "Besides, I can smell her on you," she added nonchalantly.

That got Emma's full attention. "You can?" she asked loudly before lowering her voice again. "So you _can_ smell people? Or is it her magic you can smell?"

"I can smell her … essence, is what I'd call it … her pheromones maybe? For lack of a better word," Ruby explained softly. She didn't mention that the essence was intense, just like the woman itself, and that it called to some part inside her. "Which tells me you must have been in very close contact not too long ago."

"Last night," Emma admitted, wondering how Ruby could still smell Regina on her even after a shower. How much could she still tell?

Ruby read the question in Emma's eyes. "And yes, I can smell _that_, too, beneath your fruity shampoo," she said with a grin. "Her essence is going to cling to your body for a while."

"What does she smell like to you?" Now Emma was curious.

"Hmm, mostly fresh, crisp," Ruby tried to explain. "It's hard to describe. It's a bit like a freshly-cut—"

"Apple?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, exactly. How did you—"

"Her magic has the same smell," Emma interrupted Ruby's obvious question. "Does that mean you could track Regina's magic by smell? Or just her?"

"I don't know," Ruby admitted. "I never tried tracking somebody's magic. Back home it was usually something you tried to stay away from, Emma." She paused. "I could maybe identify her smell if she used magic right here but tracking it … I don't know." She gave Emma a long look, waving off another customer. "Why do you need to track her anyway?" she asked. "When your body says you spent last night with her."

Emma banged her head against the counter. "Sort of," she mumbled. "And Regina … well, she … er, ran afterwards," she lied, "and I need to find her."

"Ouch," Ruby commiserated. "Was it something you said?"

"Or didn't say," Emma said almost inaudibly. "So, can you help? For some reason I have a feeling she's in the woods somewhere."

"I could take a run after my shift," Ruby told her. "But Emma … if she doesn't want to be found—"

"You won't find her," Emma finished for her.

Ruby cocked her head, inhaling deeply but discreetly and studying Emma for a moment with an unreadable expression on her face. "_I_ might not be able to," she finally whispered, "but I think _you_ could, and you wouldn't even need my nose."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Before Ruby could explain, someone entering the diner caught her attention as she straightened immediately. "Oh, shit," Ruby mumbled.

Emma turned in her seat and uttered the same sentiment in her head. _Snow._ Emma checked her watch. What the hell was she doing here at this time? She turned to Ruby with a menacing look on her face and growled. "Not a word."

"Don't worry," Ruby hissed back. "Hey, Snow," she called out to her friend, smile a little too bright, voice a little too cheerful but Emma's mother didn't seem to notice.

She walked over and now Emma could see that her arms were filled with pens and stationary and some file folders. "Hello, Red," Snow said with a smile. "Hi, honey."

"Hello, Snow." Emma returned suspiciously. For all she knew this could be another one of Snow's grand plans at matchmaking for her. "What are you doing here?"

Snow dropped her things on the counter and sat down on the stool next to Emma. "I'm working," she said simply.

"Shouldn't you be at the school then?" Emma asked, a slight note of concern in her voice. "Did something happen? Is Henry okay?"

Snow gave her a funny look. "I'm sure Henry is okay," she said. "But I can't be his teacher anymore, sweetie." She made it sound obvious.

"Oh." Emma felt a little stupid for a moment. "Right, because you're his grandmother."

Snow chuckled. "No, Emma, because I'm the mayor, and I can't do everything myself." She sounded as if she tried to explain something self-explanatory to a small, ignorant child. "So I need to work on some proclamations today."

Emma raised an eyebrow at both the tone and this new piece of information. "You're the mayor now? Since when?" she asked incredulously. "Did I miss an election? As far as I know Regina is still officially the mayor of this town, even though you don't want her to be."

Ruby came over and put a hot cocoa down in front of Snow. "And Belle did a very good job as her substitute when you guys were in Neverland."

Snow took a sip of her cocoa, shaking her head slightly at Ruby and Emma. "Yes, but now we're back," she explained to Ruby, "and I am the queen, which automatically makes me the ruler of this town."

Emma cleared her throat. "You are _a_ queen," she stated, "and so is the woman who is the elected mayor of this town." Snow's tone hit a nerve with her and she felt herself get even more angry at her mother than she had already been because of the Neal issue. "Besides, that's not how it works here. This is _America_, Snow, not some backwards medieval fairytale land."

Snow looked taken aback. "But Emma, you can't expect us to leave Regina in power. She's—"

"If you say she's evil, Snow," Emma interrupted. "I swear I'm walking out that door right now." She bit back anything else, knowing that she couldn't afford to defend Regina too much without arousing suspicion. It was just so damn hard to stay quiet. "You know she's changed, Snow," she added, trying to sound calmer than she felt.

"She's done so many bad things, though," Snow replied, managing to avoid calling Regina evil. "She got us stranded here where nobody wants to be. My taking the crown back is just the first step to restoring the right order of things and finding a way back."

"But this is not a monarchy, Snow!" Emma hissed loudly. She watched as Ruby opened her mouth but stopped herself before she said anything. "Do you agree with Snow, Ruby?"

"Agree?" Ruby looked nervous.

"That things should go back to the way they were in the Enchanted Forest," Emma said. "That you should all go back."

Snow looked startled at the venom in Emma's words, and Ruby looked like she wanted to strangle Emma for putting her on the spot. "I don't agree," she said bravely, however, facing her friend and queen. "I don't think everyone wants to go back. This land offers us so much more freedom than the old land, and I like living in a democracy. Not to mention a place with indoor plumbing and the internet."

"What?" Snow erupted. "How can you say that? This is not our home." Her voice made it clear that she couldn't understand Emma and Ruby at all.

"It is _my_ home," Emma said softly, and Ruby nodded. "And Henry's."

"You weren't born here, Emma, and I'm sure you'll change your mind once we're back. It's so beautiful there," Snow said wistfully as she picked up a sheet of paper and a pen. "Now let me work on my proclamation."

"What are you going to proclaim? Your takeover as supreme ruler?" Emma asked sarcastically. She would _never_ go live in that hellhole where chimera counted as food and ogres were around every corner. "Telling you people that we're the fucking royal family of Storybrooke? With you as mayor and me as sheriff and dad as … what position _does_ he get in this vision of yours?"

Snow cleared her throat softly. "Well, actually, honey," she said hesitantly, refusing to meet Emma's eyes. "Seeing as he's the king, I think _he_ should be the sheriff," she explained. "You could still be the deputy, although I'd rather you work as my assistant, so you can learn how to rule," she added quickly.

Emma's jaw dropped as she wondered if her mother had been taken over by some unseen evil force. For the first time since coming to Storybrooke she could understand Regina's feelings towards her mother. "You don't want to take away just Regina's job, you want to take _mine_ as well?" she asked, her voice rising in hurt, anger, and frustration. She couldn't believe what her mother was doing, nor how much it hurt. "What the hell is wrong with you all of a sudden?" She shook her head. "That's not going to happen."

"It's all going to be great, just wait and see," Snow replied, blowing out a frustrated breath. "The people are used to having things a certain way, and with me and your father as the leaders of this community they will be much happier. Things will run much more smoothly now that we're back in power."

"I think the people are plenty happy with the savior as their sheriff," Ruby muttered under her breath but the look Snow shot her told her that she had heard.

Emma put a couple of dollars on the counter and stood to leave. "I guess that's it then," she said, taking her badge off her belt, trying to keep it together while still in the diner. This was hurting so much more than she had thought possible, especially since it was so unexpected _and_ coming from her own mother. She wondered why David hadn't said anything about all of this to her earlier, which added another stab to the already deep wound. She knew what rejection felt like but experiencing it from her parents for the second time in a few weeks? That threatened to destroy something deep inside her.

Emma threw the badge down in front of Snow. "I have to get out of here."

She turned and left the diner at a quick pace, ignoring her mother's calls. She walked around the corner into the next alley and leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, in and out, in and out, chest heaving, trying to stave off an anxiety attack, wishing with all her might she could talk to Regina. She just knew that Regina would understand her feelings, probably better than anybody else. Her body began to tingle at the thought.

"Emma, are you okay?" Ruby had followed her out, concern written all over her face.

"No."

Ruby winced at the broken sound, even as she was surprised that Emma admitted as much. "Listen," she said urgently. "I don't know what's going on with Snow. This isn't like her, and she's wrong. We don't all want things to go back to the way they were but …"

"But she's the queen and they'll do what she says," Emma finished for her. "Even you."

Ruby nodded sadly.

"Was that what you came to tell me?" Emma asked tiredly, just wanting to be away from here, her urge to run stronger than ever.

Ruby shook her head. "Listen to me," she urged. "This is about what we were discussing before Snow came in."

"About Regina? Are you still willing to help?"

"Of course," Ruby replied quickly. "But like I said, I don't think you actually need my help." She saw Emma's eyes light up with something other than despair. "I think you can _feel_ her … feel her magic. You can follow it yourself."

"How?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Emma, you have magic," she pointed out patiently. "And all I've ever heard was that magic is emotion. I'd say you have plenty of feelings for Regina, so if you focus on her, on being with her, maybe your magic will guide you to her."

Emma's face betrayed her skepticism. She had a feeling there was something Ruby wasn't saying but she couldn't pinpoint it, and there was no obvious lie in Ruby's eyes.

"Just try it," Ruby continued. "What do you have to lose? I'll still go for a run in the woods later to take a look around." She shrugged and slowly walked away.

"Hey, Ruby," Emma called after her. "Thanks. For everything." Ruby disappeared around the corner with a small smile over her shoulder.

_Focus on Regina,_ Emma thought. _Shouldn't be too hard, she's all I've been thinking about since last night anyway._ She noticed the slight tingle in her body again, and her brain finally managed to connect the dots. It didn't feel the way her magic usually felt but if it worked, she'd take it, whatever _it_ was that was reacting to her thoughts. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall, focusing all her thoughts on the woman she wanted to see more than anything right now.

Nothing happened.

Emma banged her fist against the brick wall behind her. "Work, dammit," she growled. _Magic is emotion,_ she heard Ruby's voice in her head. _Focus on Regina._ Emma took several deep breaths and actively tried to push away her anger at Snow, and every other distracting emotion in her mind and heart. Then she called up an image of Regina in her arms, and immediately felt her body flare up. _Take me to Regina, _she begged her body silently. _Take me to the woman I love._

For a few seconds nothing happened but Emma clung to her feelings and her thoughts, not letting go, and after a few more agonizing moments, she suddenly felt as if her body was sand running through an hour glass.

Unseen by Emma, Ruby watched from around the corner. "Good girl," she said with a smile as Emma disappeared in a plume of blue smoke.

**o o o**

Regina stopped at the edge of the forest and just took in the sight of the stables for several long minutes. She hadn't been anywhere near here since that day she had to witness Daniel's death a second time, and this time by her own hands. The memory stole the breath from her lungs, and she had to lean against a tree, one fist pressed tightly to her chest.

That day, for a few glorious seconds, she had her Daniel back, and then she had to let him go in the most heart-rending way possible. It didn't matter that she had already started to move on at that point, that Emma Swan had already carved out a nice niche in her heart. For one moment she had him back in her life, and it was as if they were back in the stables of her father's estate, so very young and in love.

Her thoughts moved to Emma, and the transition felt natural. The things she felt for the savior were different, more mature, intense, and wrought with even more problems than even her love for Daniel had been. At least Daniel had loved her back. She wondered if Emma knew about Daniel, if Snow had seen fit to share her story, and if so, what slant she had put on it. Did David tell Emma about Daniel's horrible return from the dead? Regina shook her head at herself. _Why would he?_

Regina noticed the slight tingle at the end of her spine again, and this time the warmth spread across her sides and towards her front. It felt like a very small vibration, almost a hum against the inside of her skin, but as soon as she paid more attention and focused her thoughts on the strange but not unpleasant sensation, it became less noticeable.

_Weird. _Regina had never felt anything like that before, and she wondered where the sensation came from. Unbidden, her thoughts wandered back to Emma as if her subconscious wanted to point her somewhere. Her mind pulled up images of Emma kissing her, touching her, and the tingling sensation intensified again. Regina slowly turned in a circle, focussing her thoughts on Emma. It didn't take more than two turns around her own axis to realize that the sensation rose and ebbed with the direction she was facing. _Oh no. Was she forever destined to suffer? Wasn't it enough that she was in love with a woman who wouldn't want to be with her? Now she also had to live with the constant memory of what it felt like to be touched by that woman? And to top it all off she was cursed to actually _feel_ Emma whenever she thought of her?_

There was no way Regina would get through this without going insane. And then an even more worrisome thought hit her. If Emma could feel her too, then she would be able to find her. In the dark, wearing a blindfold with no trouble at all, at least once she figured out that she could. Then again, to Emma she was nothing more than a tryst in the night, a quick number against a flat surface, so why would she develop that kind of true love magic? No, that was unlikely.

Reassured, Regina turned to leave the forest's protective cover and slowly started to walk towards the stables. She hadn't moved more than ten feet when a dull thud and the loud cracking of small twigs and branches in the underbrush stopped her in her tracks.

Someone was there, right behind her.

With a flick of her wrist Regina disappeared, leaving behind only a quickly dissipating cloud of purple smoke that smelled faintly of apples.

**o o o**

Emma rubbed the shoulder that had hit the tree as she had materialized. She found herself sitting on the ground in the forest, leaves and twigs scattered around her. She scrambled to her feet, fighting off a dizzy spell and ignoring the ache in her right side. If this had worked, Regina should be close by, so Emma took a couple of steps away from the tree and looked around the clearing.

Her shoulders sagged in disappointment when she realized she was alone. "Damn," she muttered under her breath.

And then she saw a faint purple wisp from the corner of her eye, the same moment her nose detected the faint smell of apples in the air. It _had_ worked but Regina had been faster than her. "Fuck, Regina," Emma yelled into the forest. "Couldn't you make it a little easier for me just once?"

With a resigned sigh, Emma focused her thoughts on Regina again and hoped for the best.


	10. Chapter 9: Catch Me If You Can

**Disclaimer: Still don't own any of these characters.**

**A/N: A chapter focused entirely on Emma and Regina for a change. :) Thank you all for reading and commenting on/reviewing, following and favoriting the story.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Catch Me If You Can**

Regina materialized and looked around in surprise. Why had she transported herself to her house? _Must have been a reflex, _she mused. She had thought of home and was transported to her bedroom instead of her cabin, and for a second she wondered if her magic was trying to tell her something.

She was beginning to feel her exhaustion from doing magic more and more now, with the revitalizing effects of her walk in the woods vanishing quickly. Her bed looked really inviting but even as Regina considered a nice nap in her own bed, she saw her closet door standing open and realized with a start that Emma had not only been downstairs but also in her bedroom when she had been looking for her here.

Regina tried to dredge up some righteous anger but found that she couldn't be bothered to spend the energy. Instead she started to walk downstairs to the kitchen to fix herself a protein shake, which she had one day realized helped with rebuilding her energy levels. As soon as she left her bedroom, however, she heard a crash and a groan from downstairs, followed by a loud curse that did a perfect job of revealing the intruder's identity.

_Emma Swan. Again._ Regina shook her head, never noticing the soft smile on her face. So the Savior had figured out how to find her with the help of her own innate magic. She refused to let her heart lead her to the obvious conclusion that sprung from this revelation, deciding instead that it had something to do with Emma being the Savior. If only Regina could make her heart believe that.

In any case, it proved that Emma was indeed determined to find her, just like she had promised after their encounter the night before. Suddenly, a devilish grin blossomed on Regina's face. _Let's see how determined you really are, Ms. Swan. _She retrieved a small notepad from her bedroom and quickly jotted down five words. Then she placed the note at the top of the stairs, certain that Emma would find it. And from the noise and the sound of footsteps coming from her study, she would find it sooner rather than later.

Regina flicked her wrist, sighing softly at the immediate drain she felt, and transported herself away.

**o o o**

"Ow! Fuck!"

Emma rubbed her ass and lower back as she looked around to figure out where her magic had taken her and, more importantly, to find Regina. She recognized Regina's study immediately, even from her position on the floor, feet stuck in the fireplace, head and upper body in the remains of the coffee table she had destroyed when she had landed on it.

"Need to work on positioning," she muttered. She looked around the room, expecting to see Regina or at least a trace of her, but the room was empty. "Looks like my Regina GPS isn't working right either."

Emma slowly got to her feet, suddenly realizing how tired she felt. _Magic is energy_, she heard Regina's voice in her head, _and energy is a finite resource, especially for someone not used to using magic._

"Yeah, thanks," Emma told the desk in the corner but the desk ignored her and her snarky comment. _I'm talking to furniture, great._ "Now where are you, Regina?" Her body's reaction gave her the feeling that the other woman was at least in the house or, given her luck, had been and was already gone again, but she was still trying to figure this connection thing out. _Legwork it is, then, just to make sure._

She left the study as quickly as she could but her body registered every step and reacted with pain. Her side and arm hurt from the tree she had crashed into, and now her back and butt were complaining as well. She _definitely_ needed to work on her landing technique but something told her she would get more practice soon enough.

Regina was nowhere to be found downstairs, so Emma walked up the stairs to check there, already knowing deep down that the house was empty. She spotted the piece of paper on the floor as soon as her line of sight hit the top of the stairs and she crawled the last few steps until she could reach it. She sat down heavily, leaning against the banister, and read the note.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now, Regina?" she yelled once she had read it.

_Catch me if you can_

"Catch you if I _can_?" Emma repeated incredulously. "You think this is a freaking game?" She took a deep breath to try and gather the energy in her body, and there certainly wasn't much left. She tried to focus even more ending up as close to Regina as she could this time, so she couldn't get away again, knowing full well that she didn't have the energy for too many more of these poofs around town.

What she had in spades, though, was determination. She tightened her fist around the note and focused once more.

_Game on, _ she thought as she disappeared.

**o o o**

Regina leaned heavily against the wall of her secret room in the vault, trying to fight off the lightheadedness that made it hard for her to stay on her feet. She had jumped from her mansion to the stables, taking only a second to breathe in the scent of the horses inside before transporting away to the well in the woods. The always lingering magic there had given her a small but much needed boost that had allowed her to transport to the vault but now the waves of exhaustion running through her body were back in full force.

She hadn't taken much time between jumps, mostly because she could feel by the tingles in her body that Emma was close on her heels. It really did seem that Emma was as determined as she had always been about everything else. With each jump from one location to the next, Regina felt herself open up more and more to the idea that Emma really might see their encounter as more than just a quick, one-time thing to get rid of any lingering attraction between them.

Regina leaned her whole body back against the wall, needing the support. Her hand went up to her face when she noticed a warm feeling on her upper lip, and when she looked at her fingers she realized she had a nosebleed. "I think the game is over", she mused aloud, voice slightly raspy. If _her_ body was reacting this way, she didn't want to know what Emma's was going through. She had wanted to test Emma's determination but she didn't want the other woman to kill herself by overdoing it.

_Time to go home. Her _ new_ home. _

And if Emma followed her there, she'd just have to deal with it. She vanished with a slow, tired move of her wrist, unable to ignore the tiny grain of hope that Emma would indeed fi- _join_ her.

**o o o**

Emma landed on her knees in the vault and for one moment blackness threatened to overwhelm her. She keeled over to one side, resting against the cold stone floor, hoping it would revive her a little. She could feel her body tingle, could feel Regina somewhere in the vault but she didn't have the energy to get up and walk around to try and find her. She barely had the energy to draw another breath.

Her whole body ached, and not just the parts of her body that had crashed into various things. She was getting better about that though, she figured. At least she hadn't landed on or in or against anything here in the vault.

Emma sat up with a groan, slowing her movements to a crawl when her insides protested the movement. She saw a few drops of blood on the floor in front of her at the same time as she realized that she was bleeding out one ear and her nose. "Okay, that's not good," she croaked, wiping away the blood and wondering if this hunt was Regina's subtle way of trying to get rid of her once and for all.

She knew it wasn't. She knew it was probably a test of some sort, a test Emma was determined not to fail, but she also realized from the way she felt that if she didn't find Regina on her next jump, she wouldn't find her any time soon because she probably wasn't going to be going anywhere for a long while.

Emma got to her feet with the help of wall, biting back her exhaustion with an iron will she hadn't really know she possessed. The tingles in her body had lessened, so Regina had gotten herself to some new place already, a place Emma fervently wished was the final place of their little game.

By now, her thoughts focused easily on her goal, and she felt herself dissolve, biting back a groan. _Gods, I hope this is worth it._

But she already knew it was.

**o o o**

Regina stumbled as she materialized in her cabin, barely able to prevent her fall by throwing herself back against the door. The irony of being _there_ again wasn't lost to her but she was fighting too hard to stay upright to really be able to appreciate it. She hadn't felt this exhausted, this drained in forever. _Shouldn't have done this, fun though it was._ At least not on top of an hour's worth of very advanced magic around her border.

Regina pushed herself off the door and staggered into the kitchen. She needed fuel, and she needed it now. She devoured a banana in four large bites, chewing like she hadn't had food in years. Once that was down, she grabbed her blender and started getting ingredients together for a protein drink, adding a few drops of a restorative potion she had saved for a day such as this.

She made two drinks,_ just in case. _

She downed one of the drinks, put the other in the fridge, then sat down in her armchair to wait.

**o o o**

Emma materialized with a groan, curled up on the floor, knowing straight away that getting up without help would be a monumental effort she just wasn't capable of at that very moment. Not only was her energy almost fully drained by this point, but she also felt like her body had crashed through a sheet of ice to get here, her skin still ice cold and feeling prickles like tiny shards of ice were piercing it. She couldn't even open her eyes to see where she had ended up this time around, even though she knew she should probably take a look on whose floor she was going to be hanging around for the foreseeable future.

Emma tried to raise her head to look around but she stopped cold when even the slight movement almost caused her to black out. For a frightening moment, all she could hear was her heartbeat rushing in her ear, wild and erratic, as if trying to tell her that _yes, you managed another poof around town_ but also that _and as a reward you're going to die now_.

She felt her body relax almost against her will, fully expecting her head to hit the floor hard because she just didn't have it in her to slow its way down, but to her surprise something stopped it before she met cold stone again. Her eyes were still closed, so she could only feel a soft hand in her hair, guiding her head to rest on something warm and firm, and Emma let out a soft sigh at the sensation of being so unexpectedly taken care of.

"Here, drink this," a very familiar voice said gently as something cool pressed against her mouth. "It will help."

Emma obediently opened her mouth and swallowed, drinking down the thick, cold liquid in a few gulps. She felt its effect almost immediately, a little of her energy returning. Not enough to allow her to jump up or shake this incredible weariness, but at least enough to make her stop wondering if she was going to drop dead this very second. She might even manage to open her eyes and lift her head now, and so she tried.

"Relax," the same voice said, a gentle murmur, soothing her. "Give it a few minutes." Then Emma felt a cool, wet cloth running along her face, no doubt cleaning up the blood she could feel clotting below her nose and ear.

"'mfine," Emma managed to mumble after a few more moments.

"No, you're really not, Ms. Swan," Regina replied in a whisper that sounded just a little choked to Emma.

_Must be after-effects of the last jump, making me hear things, _ Emma thought. She opened her eyes, needing to see Regina. It still took way too much effort, but when her vision finally cleared, she met a sight that surprised her. Her head was resting on Regina's outstretched leg, the side of her face almost touching the other woman's shirt. Her gaze traveled upwards and soon met Regina's eyes, looking down on her with an unreadable expression. If Emma were forced to describe it, she would probably use the word _haunted_.

"Hey," she greeted with a small smile.

"Hey." Regina let out a short, dark laugh, her head shaking back and forth, but Emma could see the tears gathering in her eyes. Regina's voice was hoarse and deep and even in her completely drained state, its effects hit Emma right in her core.

Emma pressed her face closer against Regina's stomach, mostly because she figured she could get away with it in her state. The hand running through her locks let her know she was right. "Where are we?" she muttered after a few more minutes in which she felt more and more of her energy returning. _That was no normal shake,_ she figured. "What was that stuff you made me drink?"

"That stuff, Ms. Swan," Regina replied in a voice that sounded much more normal now, "was a protein shake."

"Like hell it was," Emma replied with a small chuckle. "What _else_ was it?"

"I added a restorative potion," Regina admitted with a slight roll of her eyes. "It highly accelerates the energy regeneration of your body."

"A magical upper, huh?" Emma looked at her hands, one of which was still curled into a tight fist. "So you weren't actually trying to kill me with this little exercise?"

Regina looked stricken. "Why would I want to ...? No ... I ..."

"Okay, okay … I thought so actually," Emma said softly. "Just wanted to make sure, you know." She stretched a little and sat up, testing what her body could do. "That stuff you gave me was good," she said once she sat upright, facing Regina. "I actually feel better already. Still tired, but not ready to keel over."

Regina nodded. "That's good," she said, getting to her feet in a mostly graceful movement, but there was a slight hesitancy to her movements which told Emma that the other woman was feeling about as good as she did. She was just hiding it better. "Because I think it's time you went back."

Emma scrambled to her feet, not even half as elegantly as Regina had. "Are you kidding?" she asked incredulously. "You _have_ to be kidding me. I didn't chase you all over the place just for you to send me off again." Emma's stance was determined. "If you send me away, I'll just turn around and get myself back here again. And again and again, however long it takes for you to see that I'm serious as fuck."

Regina studied Emma for a moment, considering her options. She knew Emma was stubborn enough to actually go through with her threat, and she couldn't let Emma risk her life just because she had no idea how to deal with this situation. She nodded with a sigh. "Since when have you been able to port yourself anyway?"

"Not sure," Emma replied with a shrug. "About an hour maybe? It's not like you gave me much of a choice," she added with a small smirk. "I wanted to talk to you, so I thought of you and it … just happened."

"It just happened," Regina repeated flatly. Magic _never_ just happened. She wondered if Emma had any idea how remarkable it was that she had been able to do what she had done, how rare it was … how it possibly was a lot more than just magic ability. Regina bit her lip as she made up her mind not to point Emma in that particular direction. "Your magic must be stronger than we all thought," she said instead.

Emma shrugged again. "Maybe … but I don't think it was just my magic …"

Regina's heart skipped a beat, surprised. Had Emma figured it out? Did she mean …? "What do you mean?"

Emma looked around, finally realizing where Regina had led them. This was Regina's hideout. The last time she had been here, it had been a lot darker but there was no mistaking the general layout of the room. Unbidden, her eyes fell on the door, and her mouth curled into a fond smile. She remembered what they had done against it, and it seemed her body remembered it too, as the tingles along her spine became stronger once more.

"Ms. Swan?" Regina tried to get her attention, reminding Emma that she hadn't answered the question.

"Oh yeah … magic or not," Emma muttered. "It just … feels different, you know," she said hesitantly, still not used to talking about magic as something that existed, something she could _do_. "I never felt these tingles in my body when I did magic before, for one," she explained. "And I think everything was amplified because I was thinking …"

Emma trailed off when she saw the expression on Regina's face. It was unguarded, for once, telling Emma that Regina knew what she was talking about. "You feel it, too, don't you?" she stated more than asked.

"Feel what, Ms. Swan?" Regina's eyes and features struggled unsuccessfully to hide her feelings behind strong walls again. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me, Regina," Emma whispered. "The tingles that I get when I think of you … you feel the same thing when you think of me."

Regina felt overwhelmed. The thing she had dreamed of in long, lonely nights was happening right in front of her eyes, the woman she was so desperately in love with was actually sharing her feeling. That was the only explanation for them both feeling the connection. Rumpelstiltskin had already confirmed on the trip to Neverland that Emma was Regina's true love, but the old weasel had let her believe that she was bound for eternal misery because Emma could never love her back. He had been wrong, apparently, or he had lied, which was much more probable. Emma did love her, whether she knew it yet or not.

And Regina had no idea what to do now. "I … I'm …"

Emma watched the struggle behind Regina's eyes, not sure how she could suddenly read the woman so easily. She knew that Regina felt all of _this_ too, and could sense that there was more to the tingles, the connection Ruby had hinted at, than Regina wanted her to know. She saw how Regina's emotions played out in her eyes, in the way her nostrils flared, and how her jaw finally set in a determined line. Emma would take any bet that moment that Regina was going to deny it. Deny _them_. So when Regina started to speak, hesitantly and softly, Emma did the only thing she could think of.

She pulled Regina close and kissed her.

She kissed her softly, with a tenderness she rarely showed in her kisses, she kissed her with all the unspoken emotions swirling around in her heart and mind, trying to say the things she had no words for yet, but that needed to be said.

The kiss ended way too soon for Emma's taste but at least it lasted quite a bit longer than she had expected it to last. And Regina withdrew from it slowly, not by pushing her away forcefully, and there was no slap either, all of which made Emma count this as a small victory.

"What are you doing?" Regina's voice was slightly shaky.

Emma took a deep breath, keeping her hands on Regina's arms. "Stopping you from lying to me," she whispered, unable to raise her voice to normal speaking levels, "… and possibly yourself. Please don't lie to me, Regina," she pleaded again, her eyes focused on Regina's, willing the other woman to see, to _accept_.

"If you really don't feel anything for me, I'll have to live with that," Emma continued. _Although it wouldn't be a live worth living, _she added in her head before continuing, "But I think we both know that's not true." Emma used one hand to point between her and Regina, indicating the connection she felt, imagined or not.

Regina felt as if her heart had stopped beating the moment Emma had kissed her with so much unspoken feeling, only to start up again, beating rapidly, fueling the butterflies in her stomach, insisting she let her own feelings show. To hear Emma pleading to be heard, to be accepted? How could Regina resist?

"Emma," she started, surprised she could get even that one word out through a throat that was constricted by emotion, but that was as far as she got because the look on Emma's face stopped her cold.

Emma was shaking her head, convinced Regina was going to deny them. "Please don't reject me just because you think you should for some reason, because of Henry or Neal or … Snow," she demanded, her voice breaking a little on her mother's name. "I can't take any more rejection today."

Regina's hands flew to Emma's face, cupping her cheeks. "Oh, Emma, I wasn't going to … I'm not going to …" She stopped when Emma still looked forlorn. Regina pulled her into a firm embrace and pressed a kiss to her temple. This was about more than just them, she realized. "Emma, dear, what happened?"

Emma let herself be wrapped into a surprisingly strong hug, letting out a shuddering breath and burrowing into the crook of Regina's neck. Haltingly, she explained what Snow had pulled earlier that day, the way she had just told Emma that she wasn't going to be sheriff anymore, that Snow wanted to take away her job, her _life_ as well as Regina's. Regina kept stroking her hair, and Emma relaxed more and more into the embrace and into the feeling of being with someone who got her.

"That self-absorbed idiot!" Regina felt her blood boiling more and more with every word Emma said. _How could Snow do this to her child? _She wasn't surprised that she wanted to take over as mayor, and Regina had already resigned herself to the fact that she had no real position in Storybrooke anymore, which is how she had been able to justify disappearing. _But Emma? Emma was a good sheriff, a good leader, and the people loved her._ She growled deep in her throat. "I should—"

She was stopped once more by a pair of insistent lips on her own, and for one second Regina had the feeling of being caught in an emotional whirlwind. "Huh?" she stuttered when Emma pulled back a little, utterly surprised. "What—?"

"I like you speechless," Emma said with a cheeky grin, before turning serious again. "Thank you for understanding, for being there … for being _you_ , threats and hugs and all. Thank you for making me feel so much better."

Regina let a small, wicked smile play around her lips, sensing that the intensity needed to be brought down a few notches. They were both exhausted, physically and, Regina assumed, emotionally as well. She thought longingly of her bed and suddenly found just the right thing to say. "Oh, Ms. Swan," she drawled huskily, "I think you know I could make you feel so much better than this."

Emma's knees actually buckled at the sound of Regina's voice and the images her mind brought up at her words. All she could manage in reply was a dopey grin and a short waggling of her eyebrows. She didn't actually know if she could manage anything else in her exhausted state.

Regina smiled, reveling in the effect she had on Emma and letting herself enjoy it. "Yes," she purred. "By making you take a nice, long nap."

"Awww." Emma pouted but she wasn't all that unhappy. "Are you going to take a nap with me?"

Regina wordlessly led them into her bedroom and started to take most of her clothes off, leaving her in her shirt and panties. Then she crawled under the covers and held them open as an invitation to Emma. "Does that answer your question?"

Emma nodded with a bright smile as she undressed quickly and got into bed in her underwear, snuggling close to Regina in the middle of the bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she felt her exhaustion take over completely. "Don't send me away while I sleep," she asked drowsily.

"Don't worry, Ms. Swan," Regina replied around a small yawn. "You're not going anywhere for a while."

"Good," Emma slurred, already mostly unconscious.

Regina pressed a kiss to her hair and fell asleep a second later.


End file.
